Bleach: Rukia's Requiem
by Zwinky
Summary: Rukia returns the Human World after being gone for two years. The life that she knew completely gone. There are some things that cannot be told, and some things that don't want to be remembered. So what is it that Rukia doesn't want to remember? RukiaxIchigo, and an OC! Please review x
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is the 2.0 version of Rukia's Requiem. I didn't change much, mostly grammar and all that jazz. For those who have read it, feel free to give it another go consider how much time has passed since I updated the story. I finished editing the entire story today (finally), and hopefully within the next few days I'll be able to post a new chapter!**

**Please be patient with me a little longer, and know that your support is all I need to finish the story :)**

* * *

Prologue

Rukia breathed in, struggling to fill her lungs.

Pain radiated through her right arm and side, making it even harder for her to focus on the task at hand.

She couldn't understand how things turned out so bad. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Sure, they knew the mission would be a difficult one, but not nearly impossible.

She looked at her remaining men around her; most of whom were leaning against something, trying to stop their own bleeding. There were about ten men still standing, but Rukia knew they wouldn't be enough to defeat the enemy.

They had been tracking him for a while, and finally caught up to him. Everything they needed to know about him was given to them before they departed, but his powers had grown immensely in the amount of time that passed since they received their orders.

Rukia ducked as he swung his blade at her, only narrowly avoiding the collusion.

As fast as lightning, she took the opening and swung her blade out, slicing through the man's cloak. He screamed and turned around, one of his long arms flying into Rukia. She braced herself as she crashed into a nearby rock.

Slowly she pushed herself onto one elbow, coughing out the blood that filled her lungs.

Bracing herself against the rock wall, she was able to climb to her feet before picking up Sode no Shirayuki. Rukia was well aware of the fact that she only had enough strength left for one big attack, but she didn't see any other option at this point in time.

Slowly she lifted her Zanpakutō.

"Hakka no Togame."

* * *

Chapter | One

Rukia stepped from the Senkaimon, anticipating the smell of the human world; she missed it, a lot actually. There was something about it that made her nostalgic, but she couldn't pinpoint the source.

Once the gates closed behind her, Rukia rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. The brisk autumn air filled her lungs, almost feeling like it was flooding her veins. She had gotten used to overwhelming heat, used to the feeling of drowning in an ocean of fire.

Rukia pushed the memories from her head, refusing to let it take over again.

Quietly she started walking, tugging at her scarf until it covered her mouth before shoving her hands into her jacket's pockets.

She made quick work of the park, not bothering to take her time since she wanted to get the greetings over and done with.

Her first stop was supposed to be Urahara, but she figured it would be quicker to just stop by any one's house on the way there.

Needless to say, there were quite a few places to stop by.

The sun was sitting low in the sky, throwing shadows over Rukia's path. She watched them as they passed by her, occasionally looking at her own over her shoulder. It was another thing she had seen rarely on her last mission.

The first person's house was Orihime's. The quaint little flat didn't look any different than before she had left.

She walked up the stairs and quickly found Orihime's room number; standing in front of it for a little while. Finally she mustered up some courage and knocked three times. There was a loud shuffling from inside and the sound of someone colliding with something.

Rukia heard the safety chain being put into place before the door was unlocked. It swung opened just enough for Orihime to try and see through, a few strands of bright orange hair slipping through the crack.

There was a moment before her eye widened, and Rukia took it to mutter, "Hello."

The door slammed shut, followed by the noise of metal against metal.

Seconds later Orihime opened the door and threw her arms around Rukia.

"Rukia!" she exclaimed along with this motion, practically suffocating the smaller girl with her… um… assets.

Rukia smiled to herself before Orihime let go, glad that she was at least missed.

The orange-haired girl pulled away, standing awkwardly in front of Rukia.

"Wanna come in?" she asked, stepping back to give Rukia space.

Rukia thanked her politely before stepping into the small apartment, taking off her scarf and starting to unbutton her jacket.

"Oh, here, let me help," Orihime said before reaching out to pull Rukia's jacket down over her shoulders.

Rukia spun around quickly, putting her hands up over her chest, "No, I'd like to keep it on if you don't mind," she said.

Orihime looked at her strangely for a moment, but didn't pursue her curiosity.

They both sat down on the couch, trying to get over the already awkward situation.

"So, how have you been?" Rukia asked, hoping that talking would loosen Orihime up a little. It appeared to work, because Orihime's features seemed to soften a bit.

"Things have been fine, but two years sure can change your life," Orihime said, observing the wall in front of them.

"Can you even believe it's been a little over two years since you left?" she asked Rukia, well more like stated it.

Rukia sighed, "Yeah," she said, not believing two years had passed in the human world since she left.

Orihime started telling her about everything after that, mostly pointless things, but Rukia liked it. It almost made her feel like she wasn't gone all that long.

"That's pretty much it," Orihime said, much more relaxed than about an hour earlier.

Suddenly, Orihime quickly lifted her arm and checked her watch, jumping up when she saw the time.

"I'm going to be late!" she exclaimed, looking around the room for something.

She finally sprinted over to the kitchen table and picked up a little box. The box was wrapped and tied up with a bow, which led Rukia to the conclusion that Orihime was late for someone's birthday party.

"Rukia, where are you going after this?" she asked, jogging in place while she waited for Rukia's answer.

"I guess I was going to stop at everyone's houses," Rukia said, placing her hands on her lap.

"Oh, you probably won't find them there," Orihime pointed out. "It's Uryu's birthday today," she continued, "All of us are going to his house to celebrate."

Rukia thought it over for a moment. True, it would get the greetings over even faster than she initially planned, but she wasn't sure if she could handle seeing the whole group at once.

With a sigh, she decided to just rip the Band-Aid off.

"Do you think it would be okay if I came along?" Rukia asked, still not sure if it was the right choice.

Orihime's eyes seemed to brighten at Rukia's request, and the next moment they found themselves running down the street.

Uryu lived in a pretty fancy part of town, so their trip included walking a bit, and then flagging a taxi that would take them to his house. For a moment Rukia thought she was underdressed, but then she noticed that Orihime was wearing about the same thing.

It wasn't until they were walking up the driveway of Uryu's house that Rukia started to get nervous.

She thought about what she would tell them while in the taxi, but the words seemed to slip off her tongue as the house came into view.

The taxi stopped, bringing Rukia's nerves to an all-time high as she and Orihime climbed out and started towards the mansion-like house.

Music and voices radiated from inside; obviously it wasn't just their merry-little-band of misfits that were attending the party. Uryu's dad must have invited a lot of people.

"Orihime, I'll come inside in a little, please don't tell anyone I'm her yet?" Rukia asked, her nerves getting the better of her for a moment. Orihime looked at her with understanding eyes and knocked on the door only after Rukia had slipped around the house.

Rukia heard the door being opened and Orihime greeting someone, but the door closed before she could hear who the other person was.

Hesitantly she walked further around the house, hoping there might be a backgate of sorts. To her luck there was one, but the house was so big that Rukia felt like she walked about two kilometres before she reached it.

To her further luck, it was unlocked and Rukia slipped in with no problem.

The back garden was huge and,_ almost as beautiful as Byakuya's, _Rukia thought as she walked through it. There were roses everywhere, and with the moonlight it looked like they were glowing. Rukia found the nearest bench and sat down in it, hanging her head back. She knew she was simply postponing the inevitable, but she couldn't help herself. She was terrified of seeing everyone again.

The music from inside had changed to instrumental music, some of which Rukia recognised. She imagined everyone standing inside, wondering what they were talking about.

Finally she pulled herself together and started looking for the back door. She found it easily enough and went into the house. Not all that sure where she was going, she figured the music would be the best sound to follow.

A few hallways and too many wrong turns later, Rukia found herself standing in front of a set closed double doors. The music was coming from the other side, mixed with the clatter of cutlery and the laughter of people.

It didn't sound like a speech was being made, so Rukia pushed the doors open and went inside. No one seemed to notice her entrance, and it put Rukia a bit more at ease.

She was so caught up in looking around that she didn't notice a man in a black suite approach her.

"Excuse me, Miss, may I take your jacket and scarf?" the butler asked; one arm behind his back and the other extended towards her.

She quickly gave him her scarf and, after a fierce inner battle, decided to shrug off her jacket as well.

She hugged her body before pinning her arms to her, her flimsy black blouse hanging loosely around her frame, but that wasn't something worth noticing compared to her hair.

Her raven hair, that once tickled the nape of her neck, hung all the way to the middle of her waist. For some reason she hadn't cut it while she was away, but she liked the change.

She tugged the piece of hair that used to hang in her face behind her ear. She almost hadn't recognised herself without it when she first got back to the Soul Society. It really had been her signature look.

Before anyone would notice, Rukia took her long hair and tucked in into her shirt, trying to create the illusion that her hair was still short. It would be too hard to explain to people why her hair had suddenly grown so much.

She wasn't sure who she wanted to see first, but when she saw Uryu she figured he was as good as any, even though they were never really close.

"Happy Birthday," Rukia said as she came up behind him.

Uryu must have tried to place her voice, but turned around when he couldn't. Rukia knew that among the rich it was rude when you couldn't greet your guests by their names. His eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly caught himself.

"Rukia, welcome back," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.

Rukia returned his smile and they started talking. Neither of them were big on conversations, so they stuck to the basic need-to-know topics. Uryu told her a bit more about the spirit issues than Orihime had. Apparently not much had been going on, the hollow activities was pretty quiet. Rukia listened in silence, absorbing any important details.

Their conversation was cut short by a, "Rukia?" from somewhere near them.

They both looked around and saw Chad coming towards them.

"Chad, hello," Rukia said as the giant piece of a man stopped next to her. "It's been a while," Rukia continued when it was obvious that Chad didn't plan on saying anything else.

"Yes, I hope you've been well," Chad said, looking down at Rukia, even though she knew she had become a bit taller. She considered the question for a second, not sure if they truly needed to know the story behind why she wasn't really all that well.

"Yeah, I've been great," Rukia said, putting a smile on her face.

Chad and Uryu didn't seem to notice her little glitch, which was good for her. After that things became even more silent between the trio, so much so that Rukia almost hugged Orihime when she joined them.

"Oh, Uryu, Ichigo says he's on his way," Orihime said, holding her glass of champagne with both hands. It was pretty clear she couldn't hold her alcohol.

Rukia's heart skipped a beat when she heard Ichigo's name spoken out loud. She had tried desperately to keep him out of her thoughts until she had to go see him; they didn't exactly part on the best of terms.

"That damn Ichigo, I told him he would be late if he didn't plan ahead," Uryu said, using his free hand to press his glasses further up his nose.

Rukia wondered why it was that Ichigo was late, but at the same time didn't want to know.

She stood silently and listened as the three of them chattered on, talking about things that Rukia wasn't part of. She expected as much, but for some reason it still hurt to know she missed two years of their lives.

Uryu, Chad and Orihime were in the middle of discussing their universities when a loud bang from the hallway interrupted them.

Everyone in the room stopped and stared at the closed doors, wondering what was causing the ongoing commotion. Rukia instantly knew what it was, and by the looks of her three friend's faces, it was clear that they knew too.

The doors opened just as a young man pulled an older man into a head-lock, yelling at him to be quiet. Two younger girls slipped into the room and made for the furthest corner, almost as if not wanting to be associated with the scene.

Ichigo and his dad finally noticed that there was an entire room of people looking at them, which caused Ichigo to drop his dad.

"Always have to make a scene," Uryu muttered angrily before handing his glass to a nearby caterer. Then he stomped over to the door, apologized to his guests, and closed the doors behind him.

The conversations quickly started up again and soon the room was as lively as ever, but when Rukia listened carefully she could hear Uryu yelling at the two Kurosaki men.

Rukia and Orhime glanced at each other before giggling.

Ten minutes later the doors opened and Uryu came back in, followed by a very ashamed looking Ichigo. Mr. Kurosaki wasn't with them anymore.

Rukia stared at Ichigo, her heart racing in anticipation of the moment that he notices her. He looked older, and not just because of the time that had passed. There was something about the way he held himself, something that wasn't there before. He had also grown his hair out a bit, just enough for his frindge to kiss the collar of his shirt.

He still hadn't noticed her, and the anxiety was eating her up from the inside out. One half of her wanted to scream his name, but the dominant part froze her altogether.

At the last moment she couldn't take it anymore. She looked around for any exit that didn't cross Ichigo's quickly advancing path. Luckily he and Uryu seemed to be caught in a deep conversation.

"Rukia? What's wrong?" Orihime asked when she noticed Rukia's head spinning in many directions.

"I can't, I need to get out," Rukia muttered to herself, but it was too late.

"Rukia," she heard her name, said so softly that it could have been a whisper.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, chapter 2 v2.0! Once again, didn't change anything from the plot. It pretty much just sounds nice :)**

* * *

Chapter | 2

Slowly Rukia looked in front of her, her breaths coming out short.

Ichigo was still a few steps away, but he was closer than Rukia wanted him to be at that moment.

They looked at each other in silence, the others looking at each of them in turn. Chad was the first to catch on and gestured for Uryu and Orhime to follow him.

"Hay," Rukia said once Ichigo had moved closer.

"Hay," he said back, putting both his hands into his pockets.

"How have you been?" Rukia asked first, unable to bare anymore awkward situations. Ichigo seemed relieved by her question and relaxed a little bit.

"Fine, just fine. And you? You were gone so long that I wasn't sure if you were ever coming back," Ichigo said, sounding a little like he was apologizing for something.

"Yeah, things got a little out of hand," Rukia said sheepishly "But I'm back now, I don't think I'll be sent on another mission for a while now."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped by one of the guests that came up to him.

Rukia didn't recognise the man, but he and Ichigo seemed to know each other well. She wondered if it wasn't one of Ichigo's dad's work friends. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know what Ichigo was doing with his life. All of them must have finished school already.

When the man saw that Ichigo had company he said his goodbyes and turned to someone else he could talk to.

"Sorry 'bout that," Ichigo said once he had turned back to Rukia.

"It's fine. Is he one of your dad's friends?" Rukia asked, accepting another glass of champagne from a passing caterer.

"Sort of, he went to university with my dad, but now he's one of my lecturers at Tokyo University," Ichigo explained, taking a sip from his glass.

Rukia hadn't had any alcohol on her mission, which meant that her head was already starting to spin a little bit.

"Oh, I'm guessing he's an acquaintance of Uryu's dad, since he's here?" Rukia asked.

"I think all doctors know each other in some way or another," Ichigo said, laughing at the idea. Rukia joined in, wondering if it could actually be possible.

It wasn't long before they fell back into old habits, talking to each other like they had never even been separated.

About two hours passed before the party was called to an end. The five of them had spent the whole night together, catching up. Rukia enjoyed it a lot, but when they asked about her mission, she redirected the question.

"Thank you everyone," Uryu announced, holding his glass up. "Please drive home safely," he said before the guests started leaving. "Same for you guys," Uryu said when he turned around again, facing all of them. Orihime pouted and Rukia followed her lead.

"Come on, I have to get this place neat again," Uryu said, pushing them all towards the door.

Once outside, Chad offered to walk Orhime home. She accepted and they waved their final goodbyes at Ichigo and Rukia.

"Where're you going now?" Ichigo asked once they turned the corner.

Rukia was about to answer, but realised that she actually didn't know. She had planned to ask Urahara if she could sleep there while she was visiting, but her plans hadn't worked out that way.

She explained the situation to Ichigo who nodded understandingly.

"Guess there's no choice then, you'll have to spend the night at my place," Ichigo said nonchalantly, almost as if they were six year olds having a sleep over.

Ichigo looked down when she didn't reply. "In, in the closet of course," he stammered when he saw how red her face had gotten.

"Of course, idiot, where else could you have meant?" Rukia asked, jabbing him hard in the ribs. It's true that she hadn't thought of the closet first, but she'd rather go back to hell than admit that.

"That hurt!" Ichigo yelled out, rubbing his side.

"What? You've become weak again?" Rukia mocked, walking out in front of Ichigo.

"Of course not, but I might not be used to midgets attacking me anymore," Ichigo said, causing Rukia's eyebrow to twitch a little.

They bickered all the way home, occasionally stopping when Rukia tried to attack. In the end they raced the last bit home, Rukia in the lead, until Rukia saw a figure standing in front of Ichigo's house.

It was a girl, but not one that Rukia recognised.

She looked up when she heard them, easing herself off the sidewalk and running up to them. Rukia was about to say something, but the girl shot straight passed her and threw herself into Ichigo's arms.

Ichigo looked down at the girl for a moment, then up at Rukia, then back down. Finally he wrapped his arms around her, "Hana," he said, "I didn't know you were here already."

Hana, upon hearing this, stepped away and looked up at Ichigo. "I wanted to surprise you," Hana said before putting her hands on Ichigo's shoulders.

Rukia watched as Hana stood on her toes and kissed Ichigo right on the lips.

Growing up, Rukia hadn't really been around lots of couples. Her days before joining the Thirteen Court Guard Squads were pretty much filled with running and hiding. When Byakuya finally came for her she was introduced into another lifestyle, but where social ruled dictated that public displays of affection is wrong.

The only place Rukia saw true affection was from Kaien and the occasional wrong turn into a dark alley.

She hadn't thought about having a physical relationship herself, she was too busy focusing on her growing rank. Also, the few times she witness people kissing, it hadn't bothered her. But now, watching as Hana kissed Ichigo, Rukia stood stunned. She couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it.

Before she stop herself she spun on her heel, walking quickly to the house. The front door was unlocked so Rukia slipped inside, not bothering to close it before going upstairs.

There were more than a few places she could hide out in, but she still found herself in Ichgio's room, her fingers wrapping around the handle of the closet.

She slid the closet door open, surprised to find that it was as empty as the day she left. She didn't allow herself to thing what that could mean, knowing that she was only hurting herself.

When she heard the front door open she quickly slipped into the closet, sliding the door shut when she heard someone coming up the stairs.

Rukia pulled herself into a little ball, wrapping her arms around her legs and pressing her head into the rift between her knees. No matter how hard she tried, her and Ichigo's last moment slipped into her head anyway.

She held her breath when she heard the bedroom door opening.

"Rukia?" Ichigo's asked hesitantly.

Rukia didn't reply, instead she clutched her legs tighter against her chest. She heard him close the door behind him and walked until his footsteps stop in front of the closet.

"Rukia, please," Ichigo whispered, putting his hand on the door handle. It seemed like he was waiting for her to say it was okay, but instead Rukia said, "Don't," and then she added, "I'm not upset, Ichigo, it just took me a little by surprise."

She heard him sigh before removing his hand. "Can we at least talk about it?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia could almost see him threading his fingers through his hair. Letting go of her legs, she sat with her knees facing the door. After taking a deep breath, she pulled it open. Ichigo had sat down on his bed, head in his hands.

"What is there to talk about?" Rukia asked softly, her voice coming out extremely sad. Ichigo looked up when he realised he could hear her voice clearly.

"I mean, it was two years ago," she continued, "Neither of us knew I would be gone so long. The mission was only supposed to go on for two or three months. How can I blame you?" She knew she was right, but that didn't mean that every single word didn't burn as they left her tongue.

Ichigo looked at her, "I guess you're right," he said, resting his elbows on his knees and intertwining his long fingers. "So what now?" he asked.

Rukia jumped out of the closet and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Now we continue as if we never said those things, as if that moment never happened" Rukia said, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. Ichigo didn't say anything, but it was a silent understanding the two of them made.

"Where's, um, Hana?" Rukia asked, "I'd like to meet her, she seems nice enough."

Ichigo looked over at her, one eyebrow raised. "She left for the night, I told her you and I had some things to talk through," Ichigo said, making it sound like any sane girlfriend would be fine with it.

"Oh, that's nice of her," was all Rukia said.

Ichigo looked over at her. "She's a great person, we've been going out for about five months now," he said, almost as if that would make their situation any less confusing.

"Were did the two of you meet?" Rukia asked, hoping that talking about her would make things easier on both of them.

Apparently Ichigo had met Hana on the first day of university. At first they were only friends, but soon they found out that their father's knew each other, which meant they started spending more and more time together.

Rukia didn't really want to know those things. She didn't want to know about the day Ichigo asked Hana out, she didn't want to know where they spent their afternoons, but she put on a smile and laughed along when he told something funny.

After a while Rukia yawned and they decided it was time to sleep, that and the fact that it was almost one o'clock in the morning.

"Goodnight," Rukia called from the closet once Ichigo had turned the lights off. She heard him mutter something back, but couldn't properly hear him.

It was until she was sure that he was asleep that she put her hand up to her face, brushing a single tear from her cheek.

* * *

**Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter | 3

Morning at the Kurosaki residence was as chaotic as ever.

Rukia was woken up by the sound of people yelling and things crashing.

She groaned as she pushed the closet door open, hopping down. Her body ached from sleeping in a little ball, which hadn't even been comfortable because of the jeans she had slept in.

She was halfway down the stairs when she realised her hair had come out while she had slept. She hurried to push it back down her shirt, almost popping a button in the process.

The scene when Rukia reached the bottom of the stairs almost brought tears to her eyes.

Ichigo and his dad were fighting about something while Karin and Yuzu continued to set the table as if it was the TV making so much noise.

"Let go!" Ichigo yelled, signalling the end of their fight. Or his perfect round-house kick could possibly have been the end.

Everyone looked up when they heard Rukia laughing, setting off a chain reaction throughout the room. After they had all settled down, everyone took their seats around the table.

"Yuzu, this is amazing," Rukia said after the first few bites. Yuzu smiled brightly at Rukia, thanking her politely.

Rukia had often wondered how a girl like Yuzu was born into a family like the Kurosaki's. She was sweet, well-mannered and petite. She was nothing like her siblings or her father, so she must have taken after their mother.

"Rukia?" Karin asked suddenly. Rukia looked up, her chopsticks half way to her mouth.

"Yes," Rukia asked, putting her hand back down.

"Are those the only clothes you have here?" she asked, looking at Rukia's black shirt.

Rukia touched the material.

"Pretty much, I was planning on buying some new ones this week," she said before resuming the bite she had put down.

"Guess you can borrow some of mine then," Karin offered. For the first time, Rukia looked at Karin properly. Both Karin and Yuzu actually.

They had both grown up while Rukia was gone.

Yuzu had kept her baby-face, but her long hair made it appear slimmer. She had gotten taller, but not much compared to Karin, who appeared to be about a head shorter than Ichigo- it was hard to tell while they were sitting. Karin had also cut her hair so that it hung just above her collar, which suited her well.

"I have a few older things that should fit," Karin continued when she saw Rukia trying to do a length calculation.

"Me too," Yuzu chimed in.

Rukia smiled, "Thank you, it'd be a big help."

The rest of breakfast went by as usual, and afterwards Rukia helped clear the table. Mr Kurosaki had gotten a call and left before anyone could force him to help.

"Rukia, do you have any plan for today?" Ichigo asked once they had cleaned the kitchen. Rukia looked up from the plate she was drying.

"Nothing in particular, I just have to go by Urahara's place," she said, taking the stack of dry plates to their spot in the overhead cabinet.

"I promised Hana we could go to the Aquarium, do you want to come along?" Ichigo asked, looking at Rukia while she tried to reach the top shelf.

Rukia was about to give up and fetch a step ladder when something behind her stopped her. She looked up over her shoulder and found that Ichigo was blocking her way. She was about to ask what his deal was when he took the plates from her and placed them in their spot. While doing this, Ichigo had to lean forward, pressing into Rukia.

"S-sure," Rukia stammered. "Can I meet you guys there? I need to go to Urahara first, it's important."

Ichigo finally stepped away and Rukia felt like she could breathe again.

"Guess that could work. Does one o'clock sound good to you?" Ichigo asked after thinking about it.

Rukia nodded and pretended to wipe invisible crumbs from the counter.

"Okay, see you," Ichigo said as he walked away, waving one hand above his shoulder.

Rukia watched him go, leaning back against the counter. Once he was gone she went up to Karin's room, knocking twice before she heard Karin answer. She opened the door and stepped in.

The room was covered in sport posters and the shelves decorated with trophies. Rukia recognised some of them as being football, swimming and kendo awards, but the smaller ones were less interpretable.

Karin was lounging on the bed, a magazine in her hands.

"Sorry to interrupt, I was just wondering about those clothes," Rukia said sheepishly, feeling more than a bit invasive since she had never actually been in Karin's room.

Karin hopped off the bed and went over to her closet.

"I think I put them somewhere around here," she muttered as she opened the door and stuck her head in.

Rukia took the time to inspect Karin's room a bit more.

"Aha!" she exclaimed as she emerged victoriously. She turned to Rukia and gave her what appeared to be a bleached denim jean and an orange jacket.

"You'll have to ask Yuzu for shoes, mine won't fit you," Karin said while Rukia bundled the clothes into her arms.

"Thanks," she said as she went back to the door, trying to close it while holding the clothes in her one hand.

She put the clothes in Ichigo's room before going back down the hall to Yuzu's. The door was open so Rukia stepped in halfway, saying Yuzu's name.

Yuzu jumped away from her vanity table and walked, or more like skipped, over to Rukia. "Come in!" she said and closed the door behind them. "What can I do for you?" she asked, motioning for Rukia to sit down on the bed next to her.

"Karin said to ask you for shoes…" Rukia said absentmindedly while she examined Yuzu's room. She had never in her life seen anything so girly, not that it bothered her, she almost felt like she was in a plushie heaven.

"Sure thing," Yuzu said as she bounded to her closet, fiddling around at the bottom. She quickly came up with two pairs, one pair of pink ballet flats and a pair of white high-top sneakers. Rukia pretended to think about it, trying not to look like she preferred the sneakers (even though she did).

She was half way to the door when she spotted something in Yuzu's closet, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Rukia?" Yuzu, who had almost bumped into her, asked. She quickly realised Rukia was looking at something and turned her gaze in the same direction.

"Agh, I should have known you'd like it." She went back to the closet and pulled out a baby-pink hoody with a Chappie figure on the front. "It even has bunny ears at the back," Yuzu exclaimed, which made Rukia desire it even more.

"Here," Yuzu said, handing it to Rukia, "You can have it."

Rukia looked at Yuzu and then at the Chappie figure. "No way, I can't accept this," Rukia said, almost dropping the sneakers when she started waving her hands in front of her.

"Don't worry about it. Look at it as a welcome back gift," Yuzu continued, hanging the hoody over Rukia's arm.

Rukia, who realised Yuzu woulnd't take no for an answer, accepted it and even hugged her.

"Everything appears to be normal," Urahara said as he led Rukia from the back room. "You shouldn't have any problems in the near future."

Rukia nervously smoothed her hoody down before pulling herself together.

"Thanks again, Urahara," Rukia said as she stepped from the shop.

"No problem, please feel free to visit again soon," Urahara said as he waved goodbye. "Oh, and Rukia, I like you top!" Rukia heard just as she stepped through the gates.

She ended up wearing the Chappie hoody instead of the one Karin gave her. It looked good with the bleached jean and white sneakers. Rukia guessed that the jeans were skinny jeans on Karin, but it sat loose on Rukia, she even had to role up the legs so that it didn't hang over the sneakers. Luckily Rukia thought it looked pretty cool.

It was ten to one when Rukia arrived at the aquarium, but Ichigo and company didn't appear to be there. She figured they would come to the entrance first so she went and leaned against one of the pillars that held the giant 'Karakura Marine World' sign. She started observing the people around her, mostly families with younger children or couples.

It struck her how normal it felt to be among all those people. On her mission it was only her and about thirty other Soul Reapers, there had never been any loud conversations or having fun. It had been strictly mission talk.

Rukia turned her head when she heard a woman scream, a chill going down her spine. There appeared to be a man with a water gun shooting people. More screams erupted from the crowd, surrounding Rukia completely.

"No," she said to herself, "Don't think about it."

Without meaning to, Rukia wrapped her arms around herself, her entire body starting to shake. She shook her head from side to side, the screams of her men filling her ears. They were a mixture of war cries and death cries, pain and pride.

Finally she sank to her knees, putting her hands over her ears.

They wouldn't stop, it consumes her, leaving her breathless. She knew people had stopped to look at her, probably wondering if they needed to call an ambulance. None of them mattered to her, the voices in her head were escalating.

"Rukia!" a voice called, filled with panic. She didn't reply, couldn't reply.

"Rukia, look at me! What's wrong?" the person asked again and this time Rukia felt hands wrapping around her wrists. The voices stopped, leaving an almost deafining silence in their wake.

"Ichigo," Rukia breathed, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine," she managed when she saw how he was looking at her, standing up before he could object.

Onlookers had started to move on, which was a relief for Rukia.

"Are you serious? You were practically having a panic attack?!" Ichigo almost yelled at her, but caught himself when he remembered they were in a public place.

"I said I'm fine, Ichigo," Rukia said forcefully, intending to sound final, but Ichigo didn't plan on backing down.

"Then why are you crying?"

Rukia reached up and touched her face, her fingers coming back wet. She angrily rubbed at her face with her sleeve, trying to wipe away any and all sign of her momentary lapse.

When she didn't say anything, Ichigo let out a very exasperated sigh. "Fine, you don't have to tell me now, just remember I'm here if you need me."

Rukia wanted to tell him how much it meant to her, but feared she might start crying again. Instead she simply nodded her head, not even looking at him.

"Excuse me," a small voice said.

Both Rukia and Ichigo turned too looked at the small girl standing behind Ichigo. She was very pretty, with long auburn hair and big blue eyes. She was around Rukia's height, maybe a little bit taller.

For a moment Rukia didn't know who she was, but then she realised that she had never actually seen Hana's face the previous night.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but are you okay?" Hana asked, sounding truly concerned for Rukia.

"O, uhm, yes, thank you. I'm fine," Rukia said, stepping around Ichigo. "Hi, my name is Rukia Kuchiki," she introduced herself, extending her one hand forward.

Hana hesitated for a moment, but took Rukia's hand, shaking it firmly. "Hana, Hana Ogino," she said with a smile, "Nice to finally meet you, Rukia."

Rukia hadn't missed the 'finally', but also didn't plan on commenting on it. She was just glad to know that Ichigo had spoken about her to Hana more than once. The two girls looked at each other a little longer, but not in a hostile way, before Ichigo stepped in.

"Are we gonna go in?" Ichigo asked, motioning to the door, still looking at Rukia as if he'd rather take her to a hospital.

"Of course," Hana said, moving forward so that she could walk next to Ichigo.

Rukia's stomach turned a little when she reached out and took his hand. She noticed Ichigo give her a look over his shoulder, looking a little guilty, but didn't reject Hana's advance. Then again, why would he? They were dating after all.

Ichigo insisted on paying for their tickets, even when Rukia tried to object.

"Oh, Rukia, I love your hoody," Hana cooed while they were walking towards the first exhibit. "Don't think its cute Ichigo?" she said, tugging on Ichigo's sleeve.

"Yeah, it-" Ichigo cut himself off when he turned to look at Rukia, his eyes widening momentarily. "It's cute," he finished quickly, looking ahead of him again.

Hana looked at Ichigo curiously, then at Rukia, who simply shrugged her shoulders. Luckily Ichigo's strange moment was quickly forgotten when they reached the first exhibit. Hana even let go of Ichigo to get a better look at the giant fish in the massive tank.

About two hours later the Aquarium's intercom made a noise, followed by a woman's voice.

"Good day guests, we would like to invite you to our new tropical exhibit on the right wing of the second floor. It's nice and warm and the fish are bubbly to see you. Thank you very much," the voice ended.

"Let's go!" Hana said, sounding very excited. Ichigo looked over at Rukia who nodded and they set off.

"Welcome," a man said as they joined the line of people, which luckily wasn't long yet. "May I take any extra layers you're wearing? It's pretty hot inside, you'll be able to get them on the way out," the man continued with a smile.

Both Ichigo and Hana started peeling off layers, but Rukia raised her hand and said, "That's okay, I'll be fine." She knew it was strange, but the shirt she wore underneath her hoody wasn't one that could hide her hair.

The man took Ichigo and Hana's and walked back to the entrance of the exhibit. They didn't ask Rukia why she didn't give the man her layers.

Soon Rukia started to regret it. The exhibit was wonderful, but she constantly had to tug at her collar or pulled at bottom of her hoody and fan herself. When she started to sweat, Ichigo stepped in.

"Rukia, serisouly, take it off," he said as he went to her and started to tug off her hoody. Rukia, who didn't know what Ichigo was doing, was just in time to hold the shirt she was wearing underneath down once her arms were free.

"There, isn't that better?" Ichigo asked once he stepped away, Rukia's pink hoody still in his hand.

Rukia was about to yell at him, but his expression stopped her. For a moment she couldn't understand why he was staring at her, but then she remember. She remained silent, and threw her hair over her shoulders, but realised it was futile, he had already seen it.

"Wow, Rukia! I didn't know you had such pretty hair," Hana exclaimed, coming forward and combing her fingers down the length of Rukia's hair.

"Um, thanks, Hana," Rukia said nervously, keeping her eyes on Ichigo. She knew he was doing some form of a mental calculation. He has two sisters, he knows it's not possible for a girl's hair to grow to length of Rukia's in two years.

Ichigo was about to say something, but got pulled away by Hana when she saw something interesting on the other side of the room.

He didn't bring it up for the rest of the day, well, that would have entailed him actually speaking to her, which he didn't do.

It wasn't until the sun was setting that they walked Hana back to her house. Rukia gave them a minute alone so that they could get their goodbyes out of the way. Once that was done, Rukia and Ichigo walked back in complete silence. Ichigo didn't say a word and didn't pace himself so that Rukia could walk next to him.

After a few blocks Rukia couldn't stand it anymore. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Stop," she ordered him, looking down. "If you have something to say, just say it, but don't act like I'm not here."

She could feel Ichigo's gaze on her, almost as if were the sun's rays burning her skin.

"I would, but you probably won't answer my questions," Ichigo said, sounding more than a little annoyed. It bothered Rukia that he sounded that way, as if her presence had gone from being welcomed to being tolerated.

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to tell you what Hell was like? You know what Hell's like Ichigo, you've been there twice!" Rukia retorted, standing back so that she could look at him properly.

"That's not the thing I want to know, I want to know why you were sent there. I want to know why you had a panic attack earlier today. I want to know how your hair's so fricking long," Ichigo said, looking at Rukia with expecting eyes. She wanted to fade away at that moment, because there was no way she could avoid Ichigo's questions any longer.

"Ichigo, please…" Rukia started to say, but she was interrupted.

Both Ichigo and Rukia forgot about their fight when they heard a roar, and not just any roar. They looked at each other, neither having to ask any questions.

"Hollow."

* * *

**Please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter | 4

"Come on," Ichigo said and took off in the direction of the noise.

Rukia hesitated, but quickly caught up with him. They sprinted through the streets, Ichigo fiddling in his pocket for something. He came to a sudden stop when he found what he was looking for.

Rukia stopped next to him, trying to see what was in his hand. She instantly recognised the little green pill, happy that Ichigo still kept Kōn around.

He lifted the pill and popped it into his mouth. There was a distinct whooshing sound followed by two Ichigos, one in normal clothes and one in traditional Shinigami clothes.

Rukia didn't waste any time. Kon had barely opened his eyes befoe Rukia smacked him in the back of the head, catching the pill as it came out. She repeated Ichigo's steps and soon felt the sensation of her body and soul tearing apart.

Something was different, Rukia noticed it immediately, but she couldn't tell what was wrong. It almost felt like she only had half her soul, like she didn't have access to her entire body.

"Don't be stupid," she whispered to herself.

Kōn, now in Rukia's body, woke up just as Ichigo's body fell into him.

"What?!" he cried out and tried to catch the body, but Rukia's human body wasn't strong enough. Rukia never saw if they had fallen, because she was already two blocks away by then.

"Where is it?" Rukia asked as she caught up to him mid-flight. Ichigo pointed in front of them and Rukia felt stupid for asking in the first place, the hollow was huge. They landed behind it, giving themselves a chance to investigate.

It really was gigantic, even bigger than it had looked from above. It had a long tail with spikes that looked a lot like broken glass shards protruding from it. It stood on two legs and had two long arms that almost reached the ground. Rukia couldn't see its mask, but she had a feeling that would change soon enough.

Ichigo tugged Rukia's sleeve before he started gesturing with his hands to explain the plan to her. At first she didn't understand him, but soon he slowed down a bit.

The plan, from what Rukia understood, was for Ichigo to move in first and open up for Rukia, who would then aim straight for its mask. They looked at each other and nodded, unsheathing their weapons.

Ichigo slipped out from the shelter of the shadows and into the line of fire.

"Hay! Ugly!" Ichigo yelled as if they weren't in a battle. Rukia probably would have laughed if weren't for that reason either. The hollow turned around and looked at Ichigo before letting out another ear-splintering roar.

Ichigo didn't waste any time in attacking and Rukia moved into position, waiting for an opening to strike. She watched intently as Ichigo swung Zangetsu back and forth, weighing every attack instead of attacking blindly. It wasn't the first time that Rukia had noticed how much Ichigo had grown up since their first fated encounter. He could barely lift his Zanpaktō back then.

She was so caught up in her sudden moment of nostalgia that Rukia almost missed her opportunity. Ichigo had swung his sword high enough that the hollow had left its chest and head open for a clean death.

She lunged forward, Sode no Shirayuki extended at her target. As she got closer she was finally able to see the hollow's mask. Her heart skipped a beat and it felt as if her blood was being replaced by fire.

_Not now_, she thought to herself, but she couldn't stop it. The world started to slow down before her eyes and all she could hear was the sound of her escalated heartbeat.

She watched as the hollow threw Ichigo off and spun around, slamming its tail into Rukia. Two of the shards sunk into her flesh, but Rukia barely noticed it, barely had control over her own body.

With the last of the power she had over her own body, Rukia grabbed hold of the hollow's tail, drawing its attention to her and away from Ichigo, giving him a chance to do what Rukia couldn't.

And unlike her, Ichigo didn't hesitate. In one smooth motion he plunged his sword into the hollow's mask, shattering it completely. He didn't wait for the hollow to disintegrate either, he was already pulling Rukia into his arms and out of harm's way.

"What the hell, Rukia?" Ichigo asked as they flash stepped away from the disappearing hollow.

Rukia didn't answer, but felt herself falling back into paralysis. She gasped and started shaking in Ichigo's arms before letting out a blood-curdling scream that echoed over the city.

"Uru… hara" Rukia panted before the next wave hit.

Ichigo didn't ask anything after that, only moved as fast as he possibly could.

They landed roughly in front of Urahara's house and Ichigo ran forward, letting go of Rukia's legs as he threw open the door.

"Urahara! Help!" he yelled into the empty shop.

Barely a second had passed before Urahara burst through the back door, took one look at Rukia's shaking form and told Ichigo to bring her into the back.

"Put her down one the floor and keep her down," Urahara ordered before disappearing.

Ichigo did as told, but it was getting harder and harder. Her tharshing was getting wilder, and it hurt Ichigo to see her in so much pain.

Rukia screamed again, unable to keep it in. It wasn't the pain, they pain she could handle, it was what came with the pain that she couldn't stop and it frustrated her.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled as he threw himself over her, using his hands to keep her arms on the ground.

"Look at me!" he demanded, and Rukia did. Ichigo went dead silent when their eyes met, but Rukia didn't know why, and at that moment, she didn't care either.

Urahara came back into the room, caring a syringe in one hand.

"Keep her down," Urahara said and Ichigo strengthened his already death-grip on Rukia.

Urahara sat down next to them and tapped the glass syringe before bringing it down to Rukia's neck.

The moment Urahara plunged it into her neck, Rukia let out another cry, but it sounded anything but human. Ichigo stared down at her and the expression on his face broke her heart before she slipped into a deep, dark, dreamless sleep.

He was scared, terrified… of her.

"Ugh," Rukia muttered as she opened her eyes. She had barely sat upright before memories started to flood her mind. She cringed at the thought of how she let it take over, even though she had tried to supress it.

Rukia sunk her head into her hands and noticed she was back in her human body.

A rustling made her look up.

Ichigo was sitting across the room from her, looking sternly at her.

"Guess I have a few things to explain," Rukia said, her voice coming out a little hoarse from all the screaming she had done.

Ichigo beckoned with his hand for her to continue, moving so that he was sitting at the end of her futon.

"A few weeks before I left I was called in by the Head-Captain. He told me off an unbalance in Hell that was supposedly being caused by a prisoner. The only problem was that no one was able to find this prisoner, not even the Kushanadā.

"The Soul Society decided to form a task force, one that would go down and find this person. They asked me to lead the expedition, because I had been there before and Renji was already away on another mission.

"After going through the material they had given me, I agreed, since it would only be for two months, but as you know, it took a little bit longer. After we arrived at the lower level, we almost instantly found the prisoner. We were fighting so blindly that we didn't notice where it was taking us. I barely had time to stop everyone before we followed the prisoner through a warp.

"I don't know what it was, I guess it was where he was hiding, but inside time flowed differently, like inside the tunnel when you travel from the Soul Society to the human world," Rukia tried her best to explain, but it wasn't something that could be easily compared.

"Anyway, we were stuck in there for four years until I was finally able to kill the rogue prisoner," Rukia said softly, looking up to see Ichigo's response.

He stared at her, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.

"I was stuck down there for five years in total. I lost about 80% of my men, had to listen to their dying cries and watch them suffer over and over again." Rukia put her hands against her ears, as if speaking about them made it start again.

Ichigo moved closer and put his hand on her shoulder. "That explains the hair and panic attack, but I still don't understand what happened with the hollow," Ichigo said softly, not wanting to sound rude.

Urahara walked in then, "I think I can explain that."

Both Ichigo and Rukia looked up at him.

"Rukia, dear, do you mind lifting you shirt?" Urahara asked in a voice that immediately told them both that he was being serious.

Ichigo looked at Rukia curiously and she sighed, "When we finally caught up to the prisoner, it took almost all of the remaining men to subdue him. The battle was one of the toughest I've ever fought," Rukia started to say as she stood up, Ichigo helping her.

"At one point I was able to get close to the man, I thought I'd be able to use my speed against his size, but it backfired when he suddenly ducked.

"I wasn't sure what was happening, but the next thing I knew there was a blinding pain in my side. It went away the moment I got the man off me, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

Once Rukia could stand on her own she pulled up her shirt, revealing an oval shaped scar just above her hip bone.

"He bit you," Ichigo said, reaching out to touch it. His fingers had already circled the mark before he realised how he was touching her.

"Sorry," he muttered, but Rukia simply dropped her shirt back down.

Urahara cleared his throat and they moved away from each other.

"My theory is that the man wasn't just you ordinary prisoner, he was something called a Hebi no otoko, or Snake man. There aren't many of them left in Hell, but when I prisoner is attacked by one of the Kushanadā and survives, they become poisoned. As I said, this happens rarely. If this person was to bite someone then that person becomes infected as well."

Ichigo seemed to be taking all the information in, but it was clear that he was struggling. Rukia didn't understand it all that well herself.

"From what I can tell, the poison of one of these Snake men doesn't have any negative effects on people who are from Hell. It's like they have an immunity against it," Urahara explained further.

"What happens to the infected person if they're not from Hell?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia and Urahara looked at each other, wondering who would tell him. Finally Rukia decided to try and explain it to Ichigo.

"There's never been a case where a Soul Reaper was bitten by a Snake man, so there's no actual way to know what will happen to me," Rukia said, pausing before she took a deep breath.

"But…" she tried to say, obviously having a hard time getting the words out. Urahara touched her arm and smiled down at her.

"Rukia's path can go one of two ways. Either the poison will work its way out of her system," Urahara said, a grave look crossing his face.

"Or Rukia will die."

* * *

**Please review \\(*.*)/**


	5. Chapter 5

**Cool, cool cool cool. I hope some of you got the reference. Anyhow, here's another updated chapter!**

**Please review **

* * *

Chapter | 5

They got home very late that night, neither talking about the news Ichigo had learned. Rukia thought it was because Ichigo didn't have anything so say about it, but when she woke up around three in the morning to go to the bathroom, Rukia heard that Ichigo was awake.

She pushed the slide door open just enough for her to see through her one eye.

Ichigo was sitting on his bed, one arm leaning out of the open window.

He held the syringe Urahara had given him (just in case Rukia had another glitch) in his one hand and was staring at it intently. She watched with bated breath as he lifted it up and pressed his forehead to it.

"Why?" he asked quietly, obviously not wanting to wake her. Tears started to roll down his face, dripping onto his bare chest, not that Rukia was paying much attention to that, her thoughts were elsewhere…

_Two human years ago:_

_"__Here you go, Rukia," Rangiku said as she handed Rukia some sake. _

_Rukia knew she had to stop drinking or else she wouldn't get to bed on time, but she had decided she would enjoy the night to its fullest before she had left for the restaurant after her shift was done._

_"__Thanks," she said and accepted the drink, taking a sip before looking out over the long table. _

_It was the day before she left on her mission and everyone had decided that they would throw her a goodbye party, even if she was only supposed to be away for two months._

_It took her a while to realise that someone was missing from the crowd of people. She got up and slipped from the room, her head spinning a little as she looked for Ichigo._

_She found him in an empty room, sitting on the ground in front of a window, drinking from his own bottle of sake._

_"__Ichigo?" she asked, stepping into the room. _

_"__Oh, it's you Rukia," Ichigo said, looking at her for a moment before turning to stare out of the window, the moon's light illuminating his features. _

_"__What're you doing up here? Everyone's down stairs," she continued as she walked across the room and sat down in front of him. She spared a moment to see what he was looking at outside the window in the busy street below. The Soul Society's night life was thriving as usual._

_"__I felt a little claustrophobic," Ichigo said simply, continuing to look at nothing in particular, as long as it wasn't Rukia. _

_"__Okay Ichigo, what's wrong? You're never like this when there's a party," Rukia said matter of factly, reaching out to grab his chin before pulling it in her direction. _

_Ichigo seemed shocked by her direct contact, well, direct contact that didn't involve pain. He almost instantly noticed that she had already had too much to drink. _

_"__Don't you think it's a little weird that everyone's celebrating you leaving," Ichigo said finally, his directness a perfect indicator that he wasn't exactly sober either. _

_Rukia looked at him for a second before bursting out in laughter. _

_Ichigo scowled when she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her stomach. _

_"__Rukia, how much have you had to drink?" Ichigo asked and Rukia looked up at him, cocking her one eyebrow. _

_"__Probably as much as you," she retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest._

_"__Well, I've had a lot to drink, but the difference is that I can hold my alcohol," Ichigo said, taking a swig straight from the bottle he had picked up. _

_"__Oh yeah, wanna bet?" Rukia asked, reaching out to grab the bottle from him. _

_Ichigo leaned back just as Rukia leaned forward, keeping the bottle out of her reach. _

_"__Midgets shouldn't have so much to drink," Ichigo said as he used his free arm to hold her back. They fought like this, throwing insults at each other._

_After about ten minutes of this, Ichigo's hand slipped from Rukia's shoulder and she used the moment to grab the bottle, or she would have if Ichigo hadn't lost his grip on it just as her fingers touched it._

_The bottle fell to the ground, not breaking, but all the sake leaking out._

_Ichigo, now on his back, looked up at Rukia as she stared at the bottle, not even trying to do something about it. Finally she shook her head and looked down at Ichigo, their eyes locking. Neither of them looked away, caught up in a moment where they were the only ones._

_"__I'm scared," Rukia whispered and Ichigo knew she was talking about the mission._

_Slowly he lifted his hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her down onto him. _

_"__I know, Hell's a pretty scary place," he whispered into her hair. "Just remember that even if things are hard down there, you'll always be able to call if you need me. I'll go to hell and back for you Rukia," Ichigo said._

_Rukia pushed herself up into a sitting position, shocked sober by Ichigo's words. He took his time, but sat up as well, not once looking away from her. Rukia's breath caught in her throat as Ichigo leaned closer. They sat like that for a while, Ichigo leaning over Rukia between his legs, touching his forehead to hers._

_"__And if you don't call, just know that I'll be up here waiting for you," he breathed before he closed the distance between their lips, kissing her softly._

_Rukia lifted her arms and wrapped it around his neck, weaving her fingers into his soft orange hair. _

_After a while they pulled away, but didn't move apart. Instead they stayed in each other's arms, even as the party raged on, even as they heard people calling for them, even when everyone started leaving…_

Rukia watched Ichigo until he put the syringe down and went back to sleep.

By then she had long forgotten that she needed the bathroom, instead she lay her head down so that she could still see Ichigo through the crack in the door and fell asleep.

A few weeks passed where nothing much happened.

Ichigo and Rukia had agreed that they wouldn't tell anyone about her condition until they needed to, they didn't even speak about it.

Rukia and Hana started spending more time together, Ichigo even became the third-wheel sometimes.

It was almost time for Ichigo and the others, except Orihime who was attending a culinary school in Karakura and Chad who was studying at the University of Karakura, to go back to Tokyo.

Rukia knew that she had to return to the Soul Society at some point, but the thought made her stomach churn.

One afternoon, after one of her regular check-ups, Rukia walked into the living room at the Kurosaki residence and almost dropped her new medicine when she found Hana there.

"Oh, Rukia," Hana said as if there was nothing strange about the situation.

"Hana… hi, um, Ichigo and everyone else is out today," Rukia said, setting down her medicine on the table.

Hana stood up and walked over to Rukia, glancing for a second at the packets on the table, but didn't let her gaze linger.

"I actually want to speak with you," Hana said, causing Rukia to freeze for a second.

"Me?" Rukia asked, turning her back on Hana and going over to the fridge. She opened the door and pulled out a bottle of fruit juice before setting it down on the counter to get a glass.

"Yeah, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but I wanted to know what your relationship with Ichigo was before you left," she said, almost causing Rukia to choke on the juice. She coughed a few times, her face becoming red as a tomato. She just hoped that Hana assumed it was the lack of oxygen causing it.

"Me and Ichigo?" Rukia asked after she got her breath back. "We were simply good friends Hana, I promise." Technically it wasn't a lie, maybe not the whole truth, but not a lie. Sure, she and Ichigo kissed, but their relationship hadn't really changed from friends, had it?

Hana seemed relieved by her answer, "I'm glad. I really like Ichigo and I really think we could be good for each other."

There it was again, the painful lurch in Rukia's stomach. "Yeah, he looks very happy when you're together," Rukia forced the words out from between her lips, even though they tasted like acid.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Hana said with a smile. "Um, Rukia, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to come stay with me while we're in Tokyo?" Hana asked and Rukia looked at her with a curious expression.

"I know we're not best friends or anything, but everyone will be gone next week and you'll have to stay here alone," Hana explained quickly, "I thought you might want to come with us instead, I have an extra bedroom in my apartment."

Rukia was touched by Hana's offer, so touched that for a moment she was happy that Ichigo had picked Hana and not another girl.

She smiled at Hana, "That would actually be very nice, but I'd feel bad for sponging off you," Rukia said.

"No problem, my dad already said it was okay," Hana said, smiling even bigger. She looked so incredibly giddy that even Rukia couldn't help the smiled that slipped onto her face.

Rukia sighed, "Fine, then I'd love to stay with you."

Hana let out a happy squeal and wrapped her arms around Rukia just as the front door opened and Ichigo came around the bend. He saw the sight in front of him and gave them a questioning glance, but let them have their moment.

Hana and Rukia looked at each other and laughed.

Ichigo put some grocery bags down and Hana let go of Rukia, walking over to his side. He smiled down at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder before leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.

Rukia watched as Hana tipped her head upwards, obviously expecting the kiss, and their lips met.

It was at that moment that Rukia decided that she would let him go, let the feelings she had so long denied go. He was happy and that was all that mattered to her.

She watched them a little longer, and with every smile, every laugh and every kiss, Rukia forced her feelings to fade away.

"Is that everything?" Ichigo asked as Rukia lugged the last bag from the house.

With a heave she threw the bag at him, almost as if throwing a javelin.

"Heads up!" she yelled, but only after the bag knocked Ichigo to the ground.

"The hell, Rukia?!" Ichigo yelled as he jumped up, a red mark where the bag had hit his face.

Rukia laughed and jumped into the passenger seat, leaning over to lock the car from the inside.

"This isn't funny Rukia," Ichigo's muffled cries came from outside. After a few extra words, Ichigo stomped back into the house and Rukia sat back with a victorious grin on her face.

She knew Ichigo usually took his time when he was mad so she decided she would listen to some music while she waited. It wasn't until she tried to turn it on that she noticed the keys weren't in the car, but by then it was too late.

She heard the familiar sound of the car being unlocked and was about to reach over and lock it again when her door was yanked open.

Ichigo leaned in, grabbed Rukia around the waist, and pulled her into the cold air outside.

She yelped as he spun her around before throwing her over his shoulder, "Don't think you can get away without cleaning your part of the room," he said as he walked back to his room with her.

About an hour later they finally left.

Yuzu waved after them while Karin just went back inside. Mr. Kurosaki on the other hand had pulled a handkerchief out from who knows where and was waving it in the air, practically sobbing.

Ichigo told her to get comfortable, because it would be a while until they reached Tokyo. Rukia would be staying with him until Hana joined them in about a week.

While Ichigo drove, Rukia decided to see what music he had on his iPod, which was connected to the car's radio.

"You probably won't know most of them," Ichigo said, causing her to jump in her seat.

"O, um, yeah, I figured that much," Rukia said and pressed shuffle on the screen.

The first song that came up was something called 'To Build a Home' and Rukia vaguely recognised it. It was a beautiful, so much so that when it started to rain, Rukia felt like she wanted to cry. Instead she turned up the volume.

They listen to music the whole way to the city, talking, or more like screaming, above the sound since Rukia refused to lower the volume.

After the how many-ith song ended, Rukia remembered there was a song she had wanted to listen to, one that Karin had told her about.

She scanned through Ichigo's song list, smiling to herself when she found the song she had been looking for.

Karin had described it as the "Embodiment of the new generation."

"What're you smiling about?" Ichigo asked nervously.

"Shh," Rukia silenced him as she pressed on the song. There was a moment of silence before Anaconda started to burst from the speakers.

Rukia and Ichigo rode in silence even after the song had ended.

"What… did I… just listen to?" Rukia asked Ichigo, the need to shower becoming even more president. Or maybe just to rise her ears out with salt water.

Ichigo laughed at her before looking back at the road when he almost drove off it.

"What was that man saying? Something about an anaconda… What does that even mean?" Rukia asked, more to herself than to Ichigo.

"Welcome back Rukia, you're officially part of this world again," Ichigo said, still not completely composed.

It was moment like this that Rukia enjoyed, there weren't many of them in the Soul Society. She watched as Ichigo tried to stop laughing, and also tried to wipe the song's lyrics from her mind, but some things just couldn't be unheard.

"Oh, here we are," Ichigo said and Rukia looked up. Ichigo watched as Rukia stared at the buildings towering over them. Karakura may have a few large buildings, but none of them came close to Tokyo's.

Rukia touched her window before whispering something Ichigo barely heard.

"Yeah, here we are."

* * *

**Please review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"Rukia, you lazy shrimp, get out of my bed" Ichigo grumbled as he poked Rukia repeatedly in the side. A sigh came from where Ichigo presumed was her mouth, but he couldn't tell thanks to her hair covering her face.

It's been two days since they arrived and Rukia had already made Ichigo's apartment home. The first night they had gotten into an argument over who got the bed, and decided to play a game of rock, paper, and scissors to determine the winner.

Ichigo decided he had no other options left, he'd have to move to more desperate methods. Quietly he walked to the other side of the bed, now careful not to wake her. During the night she had managed to wrapped the blanket around her in such a way that the two side were on the left side of the bed, while she and the rest were on the right.

Ichigo pulled the two sides together and threw them to her side. He then moved to pull the top side tight around her, almost as if sealing her in a cocoon made of blankets. Rukia opened her eyes and when she tried to move, she realised she was trapped.

"Baka?! What're you doing?!" she yelled as Ichigo hoisted her over his shoulder and moved her over to the couch in the living room. "I'm waking you, it's almost eleven, a friend of mine is coming over and you need to look like you're not living here" Ichigo said while Rukia tried to wiggle herself free from her restraints.

"And who, may I ask, is this friend?" Rukia asked once she was finally free.

"We have some of our classes together, his name is Daniel… something" Ichigo said. Rukia gave him a look and he shrugged, "What? You know I'm not good with names and faces." Rukia put her palm to her forehead before picking up the blanket and carrying it back to Ichigo's room.

She was dressed fifteen minutes later, nothing fancy, but enough to look decent in case she found their visitor a bit more than attractive.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ichigo asked as Rukia planted herself back on the couch. "I'm sitting down" Rukia said slowly, not really getting why he asked.

"No, you need to go-" Ichigo said desperately, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other, but Rukia was closer to the door than Ichigo. He looked at her with a don't-you-dare-open-that-door look, but it was too late.

"Hello? Who is it?" Rukia asked through the door.

"Hi, my name is Daniel, I'm looking for Ichigo Kurosaki, but I think I have the wrong apartment" the guy, Daniel, said. Rukia quickly unbolted the safety chain and unlocked the door. "Come in, Ichigo's in the kitchen" Rukia said before opening the door completely, giving Ichigo time to retreat to the kitchen.

Daniel stepped into the living room, starting to tug his scarf off.

Rukia looked him over, very pleased with what she was seeing. Why wouldn't she be, he was pretty damn hot actually, even if he was clearly not Japanese, maybe American.

"O, you're not Hana" Daniel said once he got a good look at Rukia, and he definitely did not look disappointed.

"Yeah, sorry, my name's Rukia Kuchiki" Rukia said, extending her hand. He took it and shook it firmly, "Daniel Masters" he said. Rukia took the moment to get a better look. The first thing that caught her attention was his piercing blue eyes, even if his light brown hair was hanging over it a little.

He was smaller than Ichigo, but they were built similarly. "Daniel" Ichigo said, interrupting their moment. Daniel let go of Rukia's hand and moved to greet his friend. They did a typical male hug, where you grabbed each other's hand and then moved in for a hug with a slap on the back.

"I was just making coffee, would you like some?" Ichigo asked as Daniel sat down. "O, yeah, that would be great" Daniel said, but Ichigo didn't miss the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off Rukia where she sat on the chair across from him.

"Some tea would be nice" Rukia said, even though Ichigo hadn't offered anything to her. Ichigo whispered something about her under his breath, but didn't refuse her request.

"So, Daniel, where're you from?" Rukia asked, trying to make casual conversation with him. "I'm not really from anywhere" Daniel said and laughed. "My parents are medical scientist, so I've lived pretty much everywhere in the world" he explained.

Rukia sat up a little straighter, intrigued. "Where did you live before coming to Tokyo?" she asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"O, I've been in Tokyo for a while now, but I lived in Africa before" Daniel said and laughed when he saw the expression she made. "Come on, Africa's wonderful. I'll tell you about it sometime" he said, his tone implying something more.

Ichigo came back at that moment, carrying a tray with three cups on it. He placed one in front of Daniel and placed the tray in front of Rukia before sitting down in the chair next to her.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Daniel asked, taking a sip from his cup.

"She's my cousin", "We're old friends" Rukia and Ichigo said together, realising their mistake at the same time. "I'm an old friend of his cousin" Rukia said without hesitating. "Yeah, and since I'm pretty close with me cousin, Rukia and I are also old friends" Ichigo said, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.

Rukia continued to smile, but on the inside she wanted to slap him.

"Makes sense, but does Hana know?" Daniel asked, confirming Rukia's suspicions that he didn't believe their story. "Yes, she's aware that I'm staying here" Rukia said, stirring the milk and sugar in her tea.

Ichigo just nodded and Rukia was glad that he finally decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Cool, so about the research material Ichigo" Daniel continued as if nothing had happened. "Does tomorrow sound like a good day to come check it out? My dad will be there then, and you'll be able to ask him questions."

Ichigo perked up next to Rukia, going from nervous to excited in five seconds flat.

"Yeah, that would be great" Ichigo said before turning to Rukia. "Do you think you'll be able to keep yourself busy for a few hours tomorrow?" he asked, and Rukia was about to tell him that she wasn't some kid, but Daniel interrupted.

"I could always keep you busy? If you don't mind anyway?" he asked, and to Rukia's surprise, Ichigo almost dropped his cup of coffee. He apologised and Rukia turned back to Daniel, "That sounds nice, I haven't been around Tokyo for a long time" Rukia said, putting on one of her best smiles.

"Perfect, every thing's sorted then. I'll see you guys at my house tomorrow at eleven?" Daniel asked Ichigo, but Rukia was the one that agreed. They spoke a while longer, well, Rukia and Daniel did ost of the speaking. About an hour later Ichigo saw Daniel out, but Rukia didn't miss the glance that he threw over his shoulder at her.

Ichigo closed the door and leaned with his back against it. "Where did that come from?" Ichigo asked, sounding almost angry at Rukia. "What? I'm not allowed to talk to your friends?" Rukia asked, finishing her cup of tea.

"Yeah, pretty much" Ichigo said, even though he knew he sounded immature. "Ichigo, you're being stupid" Rukia said, getting up and collecting all the cups. Ichigo sighed and moved away from the door to help her.

"I know, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me just now" he said, taking the tray from her and putting it in the kitchen. "Isn't time for your medicine?" Ichigo asked when he saw the little box sitting on the kitchen table.

Rukia looked at the clock on the wall. "Not really, but it won't make a difference" Rukia said as she joined him in the kitchen.

She took the box and opened it, popping one pill from its encasement. She hated taking the medicine, it tasted badly and the after effect while the pill dissolved was painful. It only took her the first time to figure out that she shouldn't drink it in front of other people, but Ichigo didn't give her much of a choice as he handed her a glass of water.

She put the pill in her mouth and swallowed, hoping that it wouldn't be as bad since she was getting used to it. The moment it was down her throat she knew she was wrong. She put both hands on the counter and tried to stay upright. It basically felt like she was getting intense cramps, and the slight feeling off internal burning.

Ichigo noticed how tense she looked and put a hand on her shoulder. "Rukia?" he asked.

Rukia took a deep breath and felt the pain starting to fade away. "I'm okay" she said between breaths, "The medicine just takes its toll on me is all."

Then Ichigo did something completely unexpected.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind so that her back was pressed against his chest. "I'll find a way to make you better" he said into her hair, a gesture so sincere that it moved her to tears.

Rukia lifted her hands and put in on his arms, her head turning into his shoulder. Both of them knew it was wrong, that they weren't allowed to be that close to each other, but the moment was so pure that neither of them pulled away.

It didn't mean anything more than when a brother consoled his sister, or that's what Rukia convinced herself anyway.

"I know you will" Rukia whispered and she felt Ichigo's arms tighten around her. "You always find a way to get what you want Ichigo, this time won't be any different."

They jumped apart when Ichigo's phone rang, more out of surprise than guilt.

"What do you want now?" Ichigo asked with an annoyed voice, making Rukia wonder who was on the other end of the line. He paced the room while the other person talked.

"Yeah, I guess we could do that" Ichigo said finally before taking the phone away from his ear and looking at Rukia. "You think we could go to Daniel's house today? He says his dad had a last minute meeting tomorrow" he asked and Rukia nodded, she didn't have any plans for the day.

"We'll come over in a bit" Ichigo said, then pressed the end call on his phone. They finished breakfast together before getting ready to go out.

Rukia slipped into the bathroom and started putting on some of the make-up that Hana and Orihime had given her, it wasn't really her thing, but it couldn't hurt to look nice. "Rukia, move you but!" Ichigo called from the living room, ready to leave.

"Comin'" she called from the bathroom, applying the last bit of mascara, she hadn't quite mastered not blinking while she applied it. "Where does Daniel live" Rukia asked as she grabbed her jacket and put her boots on.

"Not far from here, so we're walking" Ichigo said, ushering Rukia outside and locking behind them. Rukia was about to ask something, but then she noticed the first pieces of white floating down from the sky. It was a few flights of stairs to the bottom, but Rukia practically flew down them, only stepping on every second or third step.

"Snow!" Rukia exclaimed, lifting her hands to catch it, watching as it melted in her palms. She had always loved snow, or just about in form of frozen water. Ichigo soon joined her, but only shook his head at Rukia's childlike joy.

Ichigo, on the other hand, wasn't all that fond of the cold. When everything was practically black and white, Ichigo tended to stand out more than he wanted to.

"Come on, midget, we don't want to leave the nice doctor waiting" Ichigo said and Rukia pouted as she fell in step next to him.

* * *

**Wow, I'm pretty quick with this story, even if I have to say so myself. Thanks for reading my newest chapter of Rukia's Requiem, I hope you look forward to the next one! O, I would also just like to add for future reference, I don't know all that much (and with that I mean nothing at all) about Tokyo. I promise I'll do some research, but if anyone knows of a classy, high-end restaurant in the city, please PM me :) I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter!**

**Please Review**

**xx**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"So, where'd you like to go Rukia?" Daniel asked.

Rukia looked out the window in Daniel's living room. You could see most of Tokyo from where they were. "Um, I don't know, where would you propose we go?" Rukia asked, not taking her eyes from the view.

Ichigo's apartment was nothing like Daniel's. Where Ichigo only stayed in it when he was attending school, Daniel and his parents lived in theirs permanently. And they were rich. Very, very rich.

Ichigo had disappeared somewhere with Daniel's dad, doctor Masters, which had left Rukia alone with Daniel for the rest of the day. "How about we go have lunch somewhere? I know a nice little place in the city" he suggested.

"Sure, sounds great" Rukia said, finally paying some attention to Daniel again. "I'll give them a call to make a reservation, if you want to know some more about it, I've got it bookmarked on the computer over there" Daniel said and Rukia looked in the direction he was pointing.

In the corner of the living room stood a desk with a very modern looking computer. She walked over to it once Daniel had left the room, moving the mouse until the screen came to life. It took her a while to realise that the button that said 'safari' was the internet.

"Okay" she said to herself as she scanned through the bookmarked sites, finding that there was only one restaurant site. She clicked on it and the restaurants main page popped onto the screen.

Rukia swallowed and looked down at what she was wearing, immediately noticing that she was severely underdressed. The site even had a notice that said "Suite and Tie mandatory", which made her even more nervous.

"You like it?" a voice asked over her shoulder, causing Rukia to jump. "O, Daniel, yeah…" Rukia said half-heartedly, not knowing how she didn't hear him come in. "You don't sound very happy" Daniel said, stepping away to get a better look at her. "No, I'm happy" Rukia said, waving her hands in front of her, "I just don't think I'd fit in there."

Daniel looked down on her, for the first time noticing what she was wearing. "I see what you mean" he said. "How about we go there for dinner instead and I take you out to get something nice to wear?" he asked, snapping his fingers in a light-bulb-moment kind of way.

"What? No way, I can't let you buy me something" Rukia said, standing her ground.

"Okay, then let's make a deal" he said, a smirk spreading over his face. When Rukia didn't object, he continued. "If I can beat you at one thing, you have to let me buy you something" Daniel said, "I'll even let you pick the challenge."

Rukia looked at him suspiciously, before saying "Anything?"

"Anything."

"Okay, Masters, you have a deal" Rukia said before extending her hand. "Deal, what's you challenge, Kuchiki" Daniel said as he took his hand in hers. Rukia didn't hesitate, "Fighting. First person to land three blows wins" Rukia said.

For a second she thought Daniel might back out and tell her she's crazy, but then he smiled. "Game on." Daniel was quickly able to clear the living room, leaving a lot of space for sparring in the centre of the room. He had also used sheets to set up a circle, where after an out of bounds rule was set.

They quickly took of their shoes, Rukia also removing her extra pieces of clothing before tying her hair back.

They took their spots across from each other, readying themselves. Rukia knew that technically she had an unfair advantage, but she hadn't missed the trophies and photographs when she came into the apartment. They were fighting trophies and photos of Daniel with a black belt.

"You sure about this?" Daniel asked, noticing her sudden lack of attention. "I should be asking you that" Rukia said, rolling her neck once. "Okay, then let's do this thing" Daniel said, still finishing his sentence as he attacked.

Rukia easily dodged his arm, not wasting time to deliver a soft, but definite blow to his side with her leg. "That's one for me" Rukia said, stepping back, but not letting her guard down. Daniel looked at her, obviously having underestimated her.

Without a sound Rukia lunged, her fist aimed straight at his arm. Daniel dodged, spinning around so that he could face her again. Rukia realised he was analysing her, trying to figure out her fighting style. She didn't plan on giving him the chance, and that's when both of them got serious.

"One all"

"Two, one"

"Two all"

Half an hour had passed and by then both Rukia and Daniel were breathing heavily. When Daniel took his stance, Rukia noticed an opening. She pushed herself forward, but at the last moment she ducked, sliding between his legs.

She stopped herself and jumped up before Daniel could completely turn around. By then Rukia had spun, kicking out with her leg, but stopped inches away from his throat. "I win" Rukia said.

Daniel looked at her, but didn't say anything, simply pointed to the ground. She looked down, her eyes widening when she saw she was standing on one of the sheets.

Before Rukia could react, Daniel kicked her leg out from under her. Rukia braced herself for impact, but Daniel wrapped his arms around her waist before she hit the ground.

He looked into her eyes, freeing his one hand and placing it on her cheek- the final blow. "I win" he said.

They looked at each other sternly before Rukia sighed, "A deal is a deal" she said, but Daniel didn't let her go.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Ichigo asked as he and doctor Masters stepped into the living room. Daniel stepped away from Rukia, taking his sweet damn time about it. "Nothing, just getting my ass handed to me" Daniel said and Rukia could practically feel the tension between them.

"This one sure has some spunk in her" he continued, but Ichigo was already heading for the front door. "Come on Rukia, we're leaving" he said in Rukia's direction. "Thank you, doctor Masters" he said, waiting for Rukia to join him.

"No can do, Ichigo, Rukia here lost our little challenge" Daniel said, "Isn't that right Rukia?" he asked her directly. She looked from him to Ichigo and then back again. "Yeah, sorry Ichigo" she said, not able to look him in the eye.

"Fine, whatever, not my problem. Just don't come home too late" Ichigo said before leaving the room, thanking doctor Masters once again and waving goodbye at Daniel and Rukia.

"Good" Daniel said, "Guess we should get going as well."

They redressed and stepped out into the hall. "Do you mind walking in the snow?" he asked Rukia once they walked out onto the busy street, the cold air cooling them both after their little match. "No problem" she said, trying to hide her excitement.

Rukia didn't like the idea of someone buying things for her, it made her uncomfortable, but she had tried to stop him. The quickly reached a street filled with shops on both sides, and not little shops with cute dresses and hats. No, these were the shops where you didn't enter, because there was a bouncer in front of the door.

Daniel stepped into the first one and Rukia followed, awestruck by the clothes. Everything was arranged neatly according the colour and length, even the shoes. Rukia felt Daniel tug her to the nearest shelf, pulling out something he thought would suit her.

This continued for about three hours before they had some lunch, Rukia insisted it had to be at a vending machine, and then they continued to look for the rest of her outfit. They went back to the house about an hour before they had to be at the restaurant.

Rukia considered calling Ichigo to tell him she'd be home late, but decided against it in the end.

"You can get dressed in here" Daniel said, opening one of the doors in the hallway they were walking in. She thanked him and walked in, putting all her shopping bags down on the bed. She made quick work of undressing and slipping into the dress Daniels had bought her.

It was a tight midnight blue dress with a high collar and twisted back. She liked it, but it wasn't her favourite, she just didn't want Daniel paying the price of the others. After that she slipped into the plain black heels he had also insisted on.

She was quickly checking her make-up when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Rukia said politely and watched as a woman entered the room. She was probably in her forties, but beautiful didn't describe her. Rukia instantly knew it had to be Daniel's mother, they had the same colour hair.

"O dear, you really are as pretty as Daniel says" Daniel's mother said and before she knew what was happening, the woman had wrapped her arms around Rukia. "I'm so glad Daniel found himself a girl, I never thought I'd be able to get a daughter" she said and Rukia felt she was going to faint.

Daniel's mother realised she was suffocating Rukia and held her arm's length. "Sorry honey, I'm just very excited" she continued to yap, and Rukia couldn't help that there were certain similarities between her and Ichigo's dad.

"Mom?!" Daniel asked as he burst into the room, seeing a very dilapidated Rukia.

"I'm so sorry Rukia" he said as he pulled his mom away. "Mom, stop this, she's only a friend" he said and his mom looked between him and Rukia. "Friend, go it" she said, raising her hand to the side of her mouth and winking at Daniel, trying, but not succeeding, to be inconspicuous.

Daniel face palmed himself, and Rukia watched as a blush spread across his face.

"Okay, I'll give you two friends some time alone" she said before bounding from the room, emphasising the word friends.

"I'm sorry, my mom can…" Daniel started to say, but trailed off when he saw her. Somehow, for those few minutes since his mom had come in, Daniel had changed. He went from being an airhead to a normal guy. Rukia preferred the latter.

"You look beautiful" he said, so soft it sounded like a whisper. Against Rukia's will, her heart gave a little jolt. _No_, Rukia thought, _this is good, this is progress_. "You clean up pretty well yourself" Rukia said, giving him a once over.

"Of course" he said, his cocky side returning. He looked at her one more time before turning and offering her his arm. Rukia sighed before accepting his arm and grabbed her coat before they left for the restaurant.

The arrived at the restaurant just in time. Daniel helped her from his car before they walked up the steps and into the fancy restaurant. One of the waiters quickly escorted them to their table and offered them some wine before giving them their menus.

It wasn't until she opened the menus that she sent a prayer of thanks to Byakuya for raising her as strict as he had. To any normal person, they menu might as well have been in French. They discussed what they were having until the waiter came back with a bottle of wine and poured them each a glass.

"So, tell me about Africa" Rukia said once Daniel had finished ordering for them. Daniel quickly fell into a story about his encounter with a lion, and to Rukia's surprise, she actually enjoyed the story.

It only took her half the night to figure out when Daniel was being sincere and when he was trying to impress her. The only things she couldn't understand was why? He had a great personality when he wasn't putting on an act, so why hide it from her?

They talked about a lot of things until the night grew late. With every conversation, Rukia started to like Daniel more and more. She wouldn't say she was falling in love, but she did like him more than simply a friends, which struck her as strange since she only met him that day.

Rukia had always had a hard time connecting with people, but it felt so easy with Daniel, so normal. There was no talk of hollows, he didn't ask about her mission, he didn't look at her as if she might fall apart at any moment. Rukia liked the normalcy they had.

"So, tell me Rukia. What's your real relationship with Ichigo?" Daniel asked once their desert had been served. Rukia looked up at him, trying to act as if she didn't understand the question. "I don't know what you're talking about" she said before taking a bite of her chocolate cake.

"Both his parents were an only child, my father told me, which means he doesn't have any cousins" Daniel said, "Should I continue?"

They stared at each other, daring the other to say something. Finally Rukia sighed, a little impressed by him. "Okay, so maybe we're just old friends, without a family member in the way" Rukia said, looking down at her spoon.

"You're in love with him? Aren't you?"

Rukia's eyes shot up, giving Daniel all the answers he needed. "I was, I'm letting go now. He and Hana are good together, I'm not messing with that" she admitted out loud for the first time. Once again she found herself staring at her spoon. She didn't look up until she felt something resting on her free hand.

She looked up and found that Daniel had rested his hand on hers, a look of complete compassion in his stunning blue eyes. "I know it's hard" was all he said, but it was all he needed to say.

She smiled, a sad, but thankful smile.

"Oh, I am stuffed" Daniel said as they walked the last of the stairs to Ichigo's apartment.

Rukia looked at him, laughing at the way he was rubbing his stomach. Daniel noticed the way she was looking at him and raised an eyebrow, "What?" he asked.

"O, nothing, just thinking that I like this Daniel. The one that jokes, but then laughs at his own jokes" Rukia said as they reached Ichigo's number. "The one that trips over his own feet and gets excited about a lion attacking they're car, not the one that acts all high and mighty" she continued, but stopped when she saw the way he was looking at her.

"I'm sorry, I crossed a line" Rukia said when she realised she had said too much. She waited for him to say goodbye and leave, completely offended by what she had said.

She was about to bend down and get the key from where Ichigo always hid it, but before she could, Daniel pulled her into his arms.

"Let me help you, Rukia. I want to help you forget him" Daniel said, his head in the crook of her neck. Rukia stood still, completely shocked by his response. "Daniel…" she simply said, not wanting him to think that she was rejecting him.

"I know we only met today, and I know this is rash and unexpected, but I will treat you decent Rukia, I will love you the way you're supposed to be loved" he said. "You may not care about me that way now, but maybe one day you will."

Slowly he lifted his head, but didn't step away. "Let me help" he repeated before softly pressing his lips to hers.

When he pulled away they stared into each other's eyes.

"Okay" Rukia whispered, and Daniel kissed her again, both of them unaware of the person leaning against the other side of the door, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Rukia watched as Daniel waved before climbing into his car and driving off. She lifted her hand and touched her still tingling lips, finding that they were smiling. She then set out to do what she was doing before her and Daniel's little escapade.

The key slipped into the lock and Rukia opened the door as quiet as possible, expecting Ichigo to be asleep.

Once inside, she closed the door and was about to look for the light switch, but the fact that she could see clearly stopped her. She turned around and found Ichigo sitting on the couch, a book in his hands.

"Had fun?" he asked without looking at her, but Rukia wasn't paying attention to that. "Where you eavesdropping on us?" she asked, rage starting to build up in her tiny body. Ichigo looked up, "What makes you think that?" he asked.

"You're holding the book upside down" Rukia said flatly before stripping off her jacket and hanging it on the hook. _He knows_, that was the only thing going through Rukia's mind as she slowly walked to where Ichigo was sitting. There was no way he didn't hear what Daniel had said about her feelings.

Ichigo remained seated, even when she stood in front of him. "So what if I heard?" he said, using a tone Rukia had never heard from him. It was monotoned, devoid of any emotion. Slowly he stood up and looked down at her, his eyes lingering on her a dress for a second.

Then he laughed, a sick, twisted laugh that sent shivers down Rukia's spine. "Wow, Rukia, I never knew you were the type of girl that only needed a new dress and a few nice words before she let a guy touch her" Ichigo said, but a loud cracked stopped him from saying anything else.

Slowly he reached up and touched the burning sensation on his cheek before looking down at Rukia's trembling body.

"May be, but at least the next time I see him, I know he won't have another girl with him" Rukia said before she walked into the bedroom and locked the door behind her.

* * *

**First off, I won't say "I'm sorry about the OOC-ish Ichigo", because I don't think it was all that much OOC. We all saw what happened to him when he lost his mother- a person who he loved a lot. So why wouldn't he act harshly towards Rukia? Sorry if that came out rude, I mean it nicely :)**

**Rukia's dress: ** /look/229393

**So yeah, please review **

**xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or any of its extremely attractive characters. I do however own Hana and Daniel, but they pale in comparison. **

**Thank you for supporting my story up until now, I really appreciate it :) From the next chapter on I might not be able to update as often, but please don't think I stopped writing the story. I'm starting university soon so think are a little hectic.**

**Thank so much and please review x**

* * *

Chapter 8:

The rest of their week together passed painstakingly slow. Ichigo and Rukia barely looked at each other, never mind spoke. Ichigo spent most of his days getting ready for school, or taking long walks whenever Rukia was there, which wasn't often.

Most of Rukia's time was spent with Daniel. She didn't let him kiss her again, because though harsh, Ichigo's words did have some truth to it. Rukia wasn't the type of girl who would let a guy kiss her that easily. She had explained to him that she was caught up in the moment, but that what she had said was true.

On the day of Hana's arrival, Rukia packed her things on carried them all to Ichigo's car, refusing his help when he offered. They rode to the airport in silence. Hana's father had refused to buy her a car, because her apartment was close to all the places she needed to be. Instead he paid for her flights when she needed to travel long distances.

"Ichigo! Rukia!" Hana exclaimed when the electronic doors opened and she saw them standing in the pick-up area, a good two spaced apart. She hugged Rukia first before kissing Ichigo. Rukia averted her gaze as their kiss became a bit more intense.

"Okay, let's go" Hana said with her usual chirpy voice. Ichigo took her bags and together they went back to his car.

"The spare room is over here" Hana said as she led Rukia to the room she'd be staying in. The apartment self wasn't big, a bit bigger than Ichigo's, but not big. Her room had a single bed, closet and desk in it. There was enough space for movement, but not much.

"Sorry, it's pretty small, but at least it's not a couch" Hana said, obviously assuming Rukia had slept on the couch while she was with Ichigo. "No, it's perfect" Rukia said with a smile before setting her things in the middle of the room. They went back to the living room, where Ichigo had made himself comfortable on the couch.

His phone rang and he looked at the screen before answering. "Daniel, what a surprise" he said, his sarcasm not going unnoticed by either of the girls. "Of course you want to, wait a sec" he said before throwing the phone at Rukia. She caught it without effort and lifted it to her ear.

"Rukia?" Daniel asked on the other side of the line. "Yeah, hi" Rukia said, stepping back so that Hana could go sit next to Ichigo. "I don't have much time, but a friend of mine just let me know that a new club opens tonight and he'd put us on the list of you'd like" Daniel said, speaking very quickly. "O, and by us I mean you, Ichigo and Hana. She got back today right?" he added.

"Yeah, we're at her place now, I'll ask them" Rukia said before lowering the phone. "Daniel wants to know if you guys would like to go out tonight. There's a club opening that his friend can get us tickets to."

Hana looked up, "That sounds nice, doesn't it? I haven't been out in a while" she said and looked at Ichigo. Ichigo thought about it for a moment before sighing, "Fine." Once again he didn't sound like he wanted to do it.

"We're in" Rukia said once she had the phone back in place.

"Great, I'll see you tonight at seven" he said before they said their goodbyes and Rukia handed Ichigo his phone back. "I didn't know you and Daniel were that close" Hana said to Ichigo, obviously not catching on.

"We're not. Rukia, on the other hand… well, guess you can ask her about that" Ichigo said, some anger returning to his voice. Hana looked at Rukia, "Rukia?" she asked with a confused voice. "We're good friends, that's all" Rukia said, since it was technically the truth.

"Yeah, cause friends often stand around making out" Ichigo said before Rukia could even finish her sentence. Rukia felt her hands clench involuntarily. She knew they needed to work through it, talk about it at least, but his pride and her stubbornness were getting in the way.

She was getting tired of fighting with Ichigo, it just made things harder since they were together a lot.

"You know what, at least I'm not making out with a strawberry" Rukia retorted, probing Ichigo for a response, "No offense Hana" Rukia said and Hana just smiled. Rukia could practically see the vain on Ichigo's forehead throbbing.

"O yeah, at least I don't have to bribe my girlfriend into liking me" he said, standing up to face her. "Or tell her about all the things I'll do for her, and then hopefully she'll love me one day" he continued and Rukia immediately saw things were taking a wrong turn.

"Stop talking about things you know nothing of" Rukia said, almost yelling.

"O, you think I don't know? Rukia, I'm a guy and I know how our type thinks. I might not be like that, but some guys are. They give you things and once they've had their fill, they leave you for the next pretty girl" Ichigo said, throwing his hands up at his sides.

"You're not? Could have fooled me!" Rukia said accidentally, before the realisation of her words hit her. She quickly looked at Hana, but was relieved to find that she hadn't understood. Ichigo seemed to have done the same, because the next thing he did was sit down, messaging his temples.

He was about to say something, but Rukia watched in confusion as his face went from tired to panicked. "Rukia… your nose" he said. Rukia reached up and touched her nose, her fingers coming back black red. Next thing she knew the world went black and her knees went out from under her.

She was fully aware of everything going on around her, but wasn't able to see or move.

"Hana, in her bag, get the box of pills!" she heard Ichigo order before his strong arms caught her. They sunk down to the ground and Ichigo pulled her into his lap. Pain started in the back of her head, spreading through her nervous system.

She vaguely heard Hana return before she was sent away again. "Okay, open… now… pills" she heard bits and pieces of what Ichigo was saying, but when something touched her lips she opened them. She felt something small being put into her mouth, followed by water.

She quickly swallowed and soon her vision returned, but the intense pain forced her to close her eyes. Ichigo pulled her into his chest while the pill dissolved into her blood, causing her to shake. "I'm sorry, Rukia, I'm sorry. Please, just be okay" he said, willing her to be better.

Slowly the pain subsided and Rukia opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Hana looking at her from behind Ichigo. Rukia reached up and touched the back of his head next to hers, signalling that he could let go of her.

Ichigo loosened his grip on her, which lowered her head away from his shoulder in turn. She stared into his eyes, which were bright with unshed tears. Rukia had only seen Ichigo cry a few times, and they were mostly because he though he lost something dear to him.

It was then that his actions and words fell into place. Ichigo loved her. She didn't get much time to pursue the thought though.

"Rukia!" Hana exclaimed as she fell to the ground next to the two of them. Rukia reached out and touched the other girl's hand, watching as tears dripped from her jaw and landed on the ground. "I don't understand" she muttered uncontrollably.

Rukia felt Ichigo move as her drew Hana closer, putting one arm around her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Rukia recovered pretty quickly after that, only feeling lightheaded. On the other hand, it took them the entire afternoon to calm Hana down, who though Rukia was having some kind of a heart attack. She and Ichigo put together a story about Rukia having a genetic disease, but it was pretty hard lying to a medical student about an illness that doesn't exist.

At about 5 o'clock Rukia sat with Hana as Ichigo quickly went into the kitchen to make them something to eat, two hours before they had to meet Daniel at the club. Ichigo had said something about not going, but Rukia didn't agree.

Their lives had been pretty damn gloomy since she'd arrived, and a night out was exactly what they needed. After he made her swear on Byakuya's grave that she was okay, he said they could. Rukia was pretty sure it was the only Ichigo wished Rukia wasn't okay.

Hana had calmed down enough around 6 o'clock that she and Rukia started to get ready. Ichigo just lounged around, content with what he was wearing.

Rukia quickly fished around in her bag for her skinny jeans, boots and a chiffon top. It was Rukia's first time going to a club, and Hana had told her not to put on a warm top, something about it being extremely hot inside.

The shirt was likely the nicest thing she owned. It was white with multiple straps on the back, exposing her toned muscles. Then jean was similar to the one Karin had lent her, the only difference being that it was actually Rukia's size. And the boots were a light brown, classical combat style.

Both Hana and Rukia stepped out of their rooms at the same time. Hana was wearing a short black dress with long sleeves, which suited her figure perfectly. "Aren't you going to wear some make-up?" she asked, causing Rukia to frown.

She had tried to put on heavier make-up, but instead it had looked like someone had punched her.

"Come on" Hana said after Rukia explained she wasn't very good at doing make-up. Ichigo was calling at them to hurry up by the time Hana finished. Rukia thanked her and looked at her face in the mirror, almost not recognizing herself.

Ichigo ushered them from the apartment, telling them both they looked good. Looks like a near-death experience was all Ichigo needed to let something go, which didn't please Rukia.

By the time the reached the club, Rukia and Hana were shivering from the freezing air. Ichigo, always the gentleman, had told them to suck it up half way to the club.

"Rukia!" a voice called from the entrance, Daniel appearing soon after.

He ran up to them and hugged Hana, greeted Ichigo and planted a kiss on Rukia's lips. She pulled back in shock, but decided to let it slide since Daniel was obviously tipsy. "Follow me" he said and took Rukia's hand, pulling her to the entrance.

Loud music spilled form the open door, enveloping them as they entered. Rukia's breath caught in her throat. There appeared to be two floors, both open planned. There was a bar right next to the entrance, as well as on the second floor.

The first floor consisted mostly of a giant dance floor with bathrooms on the sides. The second floor functioned as a lounge, with comfortable looking couches and pool tables.

It took Rukia's eyes a while to adjust to the multi-coloured lights, and it felt like the beat of her heart was synchronising with the rhythem of the music. She turned around and looked at Ichigo and Hana, who had already moved to stand in line at the bar.

"Do you want something to drink?" Daniel asked, practically yelling into Rukia's ear. Rukia nodded and was about to join the others at the bar, but instead Daniel tugged her towards the stairs. When she resisted he pointed at the other bar, which had less people standing around it.

Together they ascended the stairs and pushed their way through the crowd.

Daniel ordered something from the bar man and Rukia watched as he put two tiny glassed down in front of them. She wouldn't have known what to do if couple next to her hadn't ordered the same thing.

Daniel handed her the tiny glass and together they tipped the contents into their mouths. Rukia scrunched up her face as the liquid burned its way down her throat. "Yah" she exclaimed once they stepped away from the bar.

"I know" Daniel laughed, "Burns like hell." Rukia thought about the statement for a moment, but decided not to say how wrong he was.

They stood at the railing and Rukia watched the people dance. When she had come in, all the people thriving together look gross to her, but one minute later she found herself among the gross people.

Her hips swayed along with the beat, and she raised her arms above her head. She tried to enjoy it as much as she could, but the people kept bumping into her. After a while she noticed a lot of people dancing together, and none of the girls were getting bumped into.

In one smooth motioned she positioned herself in front of Daniel. He quickly caught on and put his hands on her hips, moving along at her pace.

They danced like that for what felt like hours on end, and as it turns out, ended up being about two hours. Rukia noticed as an orange haired boy slipped onto the dance floor not far from the two of them.

She watched vicariously as Hana turned towards Ichigo, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. They started kissing, but not in a way Rukia had seen them kiss before. Ichigo was clutching on to Hana, leaving no space between them. Hana, in turn, tightened her grip on him and slid her fingers into his hair.

She knew it was the alcohol speaking, but at that moment she didn't care. She turned around and looked up at Daniel. He looked deep into her eyes, searching for approval before he lowered his lips to hers.

Seconds before their lips met, a chill passed through Rukia's spine. She pulled away form a very confused Daniel, looking around the room for the spiritual pressure that had caught her attention.

She knew it was close, but couldn't find it.

She locked eyes with Ichigo, who had also caught on to the spiritual pressure. He mouthed something that looked like "No", but it was too late. Rukia took off for the front of the club, almost tripping down the steps.

People looked at her as she dashed down the street, following the trail. Finally she turned down an alley, coming face to face with the disturbance. It was a man, dressed in the traditional Shinigami robes, standing with his Zanpaktō pointed at her.

Ichigo rounded the bend at the same time the man spoke.

"You left us there, you were supposed to save us" he slurred, his head falling to one side. Rukia's blood ran cold as she realised it was one of the men that had served under her on the mission. "You were supposed to save us, to die with us" he continued, sounding like a broken record.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked from behind her. Rukia tried to speak, but her throat had gone dry. Instead of answering him, she turned back to the man. It took her a couple seconds, but she found her voice again.

"I didn't, I swear I didn't leave you. I was pulled out, I couldn't stop them" she pleaded, knowing that it sounded desperate. She was about to continue when the man gave an unearthly howl and hunched over. Ichigo came to stand in front of her, protecting her with his body.

The man started to sway from side to side, as if being pulled by strings. A sickening crack filled the alley as something tore from the man's back. The rest of the man also started to transform, only his face remaining normal. His swords seemed to merge with his arms, which soon turned out to be a tail.

"A hollow" Ichigo breathed, also not understanding what was going on. "You left us" the man said, his voice coming out gravelled, a sound only a hollow could produce.

"Ichigo!" Rukia ordered, but Ichigo was one step ahead of her. He had already removed Kon and was swallowing the green pill. Rukia reached for her own one, given to her by Uruhara. However, before she could swallow it, Ichigo grabbed her wrist.

"No way, you're not joining this fight!" he yelled at her.

"Baka, let me go, Uruhara said it was fine every once in a while" she said, ripping her arms from Ichigo's grip and swallowing the pill before he could stop her.

She stood for a moment, checking for any abnormal feelings in her body, but to her relief there were none. She gave Ichigo a look that said he shouldn't worry, she was fine. Ichigo still made the first move, leaving no openings for Rukia to attack, even if she wanted to.

The hollow was strong, almost at the level of a Menos Grande and Ichigo was having a hell of a time keeping it at bay. To add to their troubles, Daniel and Hana found them. "Ichigo! Rukia!" Hana yelled and ran up to Kon, wrapping her arms around him.

Rukia was about to tell the two mod-souls to take them away when she realised Daniel was staring directly at her. "Rukia?" he asked, hesitantly stepping closer to her.

"You- you can see me?" Rukia stammered, her attention completely drawn to him. Daniel looked like he wanted to say something, but her name being called pulled her back to the hollow. She duck just as its tail swung pass, almost smashing through the wall.

Hana screamed and ducked, hands over her head. Daniel stared and terrified fascination at the beast in front of him.

"Daniel! You need to get out of here!" Rukia screamed, when she saw Ichigo being thrown to the ground. The hollow took the moment to finish his transformation. She started at the hollow, watching as its previously thick tail split into two, blades at each end.

"Damn" Ichigo muttered, wiping blood from the side of his mouth as he stood up.

"Ichigo?" Daniel asked, which of course got Hana's attention. "Daniel, what are you looking at? We've got to get out of here!" she said panicked.

"Daniel, please, take care of Hana" Rukia said before unsheathing Sode no Shirayuki. She raised the sword just as one of the hollow's tails collided with her. It pushed her back several feet, but she was able to stay upright.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki" she said, holding her blade up. It turned white and Rukia felt her power coursing through her body. She side stepped the hollow's tail and slid her blade down it until she came close enough for an attack.

She spared a quick glimpse to see if Daniel and Hana had left, but to her disappointment they hadn't. Luckily Kon was trying to get them out of the way, but it looked like Daniel refused to budge.

She used her speed to deliver and blow to the hollow's shoulder, creating a deep gash. Before it could retaliate, Rukia jumped to a safe distance. Ichigo joined her soon enough, a tiny stream of blood trailing down the side of his face.

"This thing has got to have two brains, no way can he attack both of us at once" Ichigo said.

Rukia wouldn't say she was disagreeing with him, but she knew there had to be more than met the eye. Something was fuelling the hollow, maybe the spirit of the Soul Reaper it was possessing? Rukia didn't know, but it made killing it harder.

The hollow came at them with surprising speed, catching both of them off guard. They flanked to different sides, both drawing their blades across the hollow's legs. It stammered and landed on its stomach, and for a moment it looked like they had immobilised it.

Rukia realised their mistake only seconds before Ichigo. They had let the hollow get past them, leaving Hana and Daniel pretty much unprotected. "Daniel! RUN!" Rukia yelled at the top of her lungs, and for the first time he actually listened.

Kon pulled Hana into his arms and Daniel followed before Rukia's mod-soul fell in behind them, not turning her back on the hollow until she rounded the corner. Rukia felt some of the tension leaving her body, but not nearly enough.

Slowly the hollow started to get up.

"Good, now we can get down to business" Ichigo said, raising Zangetsu horizontal. "Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu" he said and a big flow of red and black spiritual pressure flowed around him. An intense wave of spiritual pressure almost sent Rukia flying as the black and red evaporated.

"Be ready" Ichigo said before he disappeared from her side. He reappeared behind the hollow, striking it in the back. The hollow fell forward once again, its mask going straight into Rukia's extended blade.

She watched as a crack slowly spread down the middle, almost feeling sad.

It shattered not long after that, black particles floating into the night sky. But unlike with most hollows, an object remained, edged onto Rukia's blade. Curiously she lifted her Zanpaktō, inspecting the object before feeling as if the world had stopped around her.

She fell backwards, covering her mouth with her hands as her Zanpaktō clattered to the ground, returning to its normal form.

The piece of wood stuck to her blade split in two as it made contact with the concrete, but Rukia didn't care. She didn't think she'd ever see it again.

It was her lieutenant's badge. The one taken from her during a match in Hell, by none other than their target, during their second last encounter. Ichigo picked up the pieces, examining them until he also realised what they were.

He looked at Rukia on the ground, his gaze questioning her.

"He's alive. The Hebi no otoko is still alive."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hay guys! I'm so sorry for waiting this long to post, things have been crazy around here. O, happy New Years! I know it's a little late, but maybe someone needed a little reminder that it's a new year with new possibilities. Or, that's actually just my way of saying I'm going to be extremely busy from now on. Please don't stop reading because of that, I promise I'll do my best to update as soon as possible :)**

**So yeah, enjoy and let me know what's going on in those nogens of yours **

**xx**

* * *

Chapter 9:

Rukia held her breath, counting to ten before she knocked on the door. There was a rustle from inside, but no indication that she could go in.

"Daniel, it's me, Rukia" she tried, even though she was sure it wouldn't make a difference. He had been ignoring her for almost a week before she finally mustered up to courage to show up at his house unannounced. Luckily his mother like her a lot.

She tried the door handle, finding that it was unlocked.

"Please, let's talk about this" she said as she set one foot inside the room. Daniel was on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Don't want to" he said, and it set Rukia over the edge. If he was going to act like a child, he could at least come up with a better excuse.

"That's it" Rukia muttered before she walked in, shut the door and jumped onto his bed. Daniel's eye widened in surprise as Rukia's foot made contact with his stomach. He rolled to his side, hoping it would get him his wind back.

"Why are you mad at me, huh? Is it because I didn't tell you?" she exclaimed, crossing her legs as she sat down next to him.

"What exactly did you want me to say? 'Hi, my name is Rukia, I can see dead people and can fight big black beasts'" she said, sarcasm thick in her voice. Daniel had taken the time to sit up, opening his mouth to say something, but quickly realising that she was right.

"I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry that I'm not who you thought I was. Wait, no. I'm exactly the person you've spent all this time with, I just happen to have sort of another life okay" she continued when he didn't say or do anything.

A silence settled between them, heavy and threatening. "I'll leave if that's what you want" Rukia whispered, surprised by how badly it stung to say the words. When Daniel once again didn't say anything, she started to get up.

"If it means anything, it was nice-" she said, but when an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her onto the bed, it stopped her mid-sentence.

"Don't go" Daniel said, making Rukia's heart flutter. Well, that and the position they were in, him being on top of her and all. He reached down and stroked her cheek, his thumb resting on her lips. "I'm not mad, I promise. It just a lot to take in" he whispered, setting his forehead on hers.

"I'm sorry I stayed away as long as I did, I just didn't know how to approach you" he admitted, "It's not every day you find out you girlfriend is a Shinigami."

Rukia looked at him alarmingly.

"How?" she asked, knowing he'll understand her question even if she didn't fill the blanks.

"Ichigo beat you to the punch. We have classes together so I can't exactly avoid him" Daniel said and Rukia mentally cursed Ichigo. "He also told me he was one, but he didn't tell me how exactly this came to be" Daniel said, giving her an expectant look.

Rukia sighed, getting herself comfortable for a long day. "Well, I first met Ichigo…" she started, and for three hours after that she was still talking, occasionally answering one of Daniel's many questions.

She told him how Ichigo had become a Soul Reaper, how that had gotten her in trouble and how Ichigo had gone to save her. She left out the parts about Ichigo going bat-shit crazy at one point, knowing Ichigo would probably be mad at her.

She then went on to explain how the Soul Society worked, where in the topic of hollows also came up several time.

The only things she didn't tell him was about her mission and her history with Ichigo.

"Okay… I think I've got it now" Daniel said finally, nodding his head up and down a few times before he started shaking it from side to side. "No, on second thought, this is all pretty crazy" he admitted, sinking his head into the pillows next to Rukia's.

"Just out of curiosity, how long have you been able to see spirits?" Rukia asked, patting his head absentmindedly. He shifted a little before answering, "I don't know, I can't remember not seeing them" he said.

"What I want to know is what the chances are?" he asked and Rukia looked down to study his face.

"What do you mean?"

"What are the chances that I became friends with two people who are in a way the same as me?" he finished his question, lacing their fingers together and circling the top of her hand with his thumb.

"O, that's actually normal. People with higher than normal spiritual pressure are automatically drawn to each other, but they don't always know it" Rukia explained. "But it's not an exact science, so it doesn't always work that way."

"I guess that makes sense" Daniel whispered.

After a moment of silence he added, "How's Hana doing?"

Rukia sighed.

"She's okay. She and Ichigo are a bit strained though. She didn't see anything so we just told her that I hadn't been feeling well and Ichigo was worried when he saw me run from the club. She's a little sceptical about how the wall exploded, but she doesn't think we had anything to do with it."

"That's good" Daniel said, "She's freaks out easily" he added before laughing. It was the kind of laugh you gave when you knew you shouldn't really find the situation funny, but you can't help yourself.

Soon Rukia joined in.

"I'm bac-" Rukia started to say as she stepped into Hana's apartment just as the sun was setting. She closed her mouth when she heard Hana wasn't home alone.

It sounded like she and Ichigo were in the bedroom, but they were fighting again. It had become a pretty common occurrence since the night of the club. Most of the time they tried to dial it down when Rukia was around, which meant she didn't know the extent of their problems.

She quickly put her things down and was about to go to her room and listen to music until they stopped, but their argument caught her attention.

She knew it was wrong to listen in on their conversation, but she couldn't help herself as she stood closer to the door, not pressing her ear against it in case they heard her.

"I don't know why you're lying to me, but I know you are" Hana said, sounding very close to tears. "And it's not just now that Rukia's back, it was before that as well. Don't think I never noticed how many times you had to slip out to do something, or you had to cancel plans because you had some last minute thing going on.

I also know there's something you're not telling me, something big." Hana stopped talking, obviously waiting for Ichigo to react, but it didn't sound like he intended to.

"So that's it? You're not going to say anything?" Hana asked, and Rukia was pretty sure she had started to cry. Again, silence.

"You know what, since I'm the only one talking, why don't I just put it all out in the open" Hana said, confusing Rukia, and apparently Ichigo. "What all?" he asked.

"Rukia" Hana simply said, causing every muscle in Rukia's body to tense. "What about her?" Ichigo asked and to Rukia's surprise he sounded pretty annoyed, almost as if they've had the argument more than once.

"You always say that! What about her? I like Rukia, I honestly do, but there is obvisouly more to you guys then you're telling anyone" Hana scoffed, and Rukia felt the blood drain from her face.

After living Hana for a week, Rukia really came to believe they could be good friends. They told each other secrets, watched movies together, went out for dinner, but Rukia had never heard Hana say something about her.

"Hana, how many times do I have to tell you that Rukia and I don't have a romantic history, we've just been through a lot together" Ichigo said, sounding extremely exasperated.

"Until you also believe it" Hana said, cutting the conversation abruptly.

"You and I have been together for a long time now Ichigo" she continued, her voice a little bit gentler. "I know you pretty well, and I've never seen you act around anyone the way you do around her. I'm not saying that you love her, but don't pretend like she's just a friend to you, that would be unfair towards both of us."

Rukia felt like her knees were about to give in, an action that would cause a lot of noise.

"I honestly don't know what you mean" Ichigo said, but even he sounded half-hearted about it. Even so, Rukia's heart squeezed a little.

"Please, can we just forget about this?" Ichigo asked and Rukia heard someone moving inside the room. When Hana didn't reply, Rukia assumed they were hugging or kissing or whatever. Silently she slipped across the hallway and into her room.

She heard them leave the room and go into the living room, where Hana commented on Rukia's things being back. Ichigo then left and Rukia waited to see if Hana would come to her.

After a tedious fifteen minutes, Rukia finally heard a knock on her door.

"Come in" Rukia said, pretending to busy herself with a book she was holding. Hana stood awkwardly in the door, shuffling her feet with her head bent down. "I'm guessing you heard?" she asked. Rukia decided to admit the truth, but didn't mention that she had been standing outside their door.

"Yeah" she whispered.

Hana sighed and walked over to where Rukia was sitting on her bed. She hesitantly placed herself next to Rukia and looked in front of her. "I'm sorry, Rukia. I didn't mean anything against you, I swear" she said, trying her best to apologise.

"I know, and I promise I'm not upset… A little confused maybe, but not upset" Rukia said, placing her book on the stand next to her bed.

When Hana didn't say anything, Rukia took it as her cue to continue. "I guess I just didn't know I was playing a role in your relationship… I'm truly sorry if I'm causing trouble between the two of you."

For a moment Hana just stared at Rukia before shaking her head, a tiny laugh escaping from between her lips. "That's just like you Rukia, apologizing for something that couldn't possibly be your fault" Hana said and for a moment Rukia didn't know what was going on.

Slowly Hana leaned into her hands and started sobbing. Rukia, not sure what to do, reached out and touched her shoulder. Almost instantly Hana threw herself into Rukia's chest, scrunching her shirt in her fists.

"Shhh" Rukia whispered as she stroked her friend's hair. She badly wanted to add something, but since she was the problem, it was damn hard. Instead she kept her mouth shut and waited for Hana's outburst to end.

"I'm-I'm s-sorry Ruki-ia" Hana said between sobs "I'm act-ting like a-a baby-y". They talked for more than an hour, about pretty much anything and everything. Rukia learned new things about Hana, and at the same time things she didn't want to know about her and Ichigo's more intimate moments.

"You know, all my friends think we've slept together, but it isn't true. Sure, we've gone pretty far, but it's been more than a year now. Do you think he doesn't love me enough?" Hana asked, and Rukia was glad that she couldn't see how red her face was getting.

She couldn't recall a single moment where she had had this conversation with anyone. Sure, Rengi had brought it up a few times, but he had been exceptionally drunk on these occasions. Then of course there was Rangiku, who talked about it more often than anyone wanted to hear.

But Rukia had never needed to console anyone because of their sex-life, or lack thereof anyway. She finally decided the best plan of action would simply be to tell her that she was an amazing person and that Ichigo was just the dumbest person on Earth.

She pretty much stuck to that strategy for the rest of their conversation until she was able to convince Hana that Ichigo wasn't planning on breaking up with her.

"You really thinks so?" Hana asked, her sobs finally gone. "Of course" Rukia said affectionately, sitting back as Hana sat herself up. She looked very bad, face stained by tears, swollen red eyes and hair messy from Rukia's petting.

_Damn Ichigo_, Rukia thought, mad at him for making Hana cry. Hana wiped her nose, and tried to smooth down her hair, but it wasn't making her look better. "Why don't you go to bed?" Rukia asked, trying to sound as gentle as possible.

"Is that your way of telling me I look bad?" Hana asked, laughing when Rukia pointed at the mirror and her desk. "Bed it is" Hana said. She slowly got up and went to the door.

"Thanks Rukia, you really do mean a lot to me" she said before giving a sincere smile and slipping out of the room.

Rukia smiled back, but more to herself than Hana. Before she knew it, she had come to really love Hana. And not in some creepy way, Hana reminded her a lot of Hisana sometimes. Not necessarily because of her actions, but more because of her kind heartedness and her compassion.

Hana, like everyone, had her flaws, but at the end of the day she was an incredible person, and Rukia was glad they had met. So glad that she had almost forgotten that Hana had taken Ichigo from her.

Almost.

Still, as she started getting ready for bed, she couldn't help but think about Daniel was slowly starting to fill the spaces in her mind that Ichigo had once consumed, and she liked it.

Who knew? Maybe things would work out just fine.


	10. Chapter 10

**So sorry for the wait! Please enjoy and review**

**Disclaimer: If I had one wish, I'd wish for the rights to Bleach.**

**xxx**

* * *

Chapter 10:

"There, perfect" Rukia said as she placed the two bowls of popcorn on the coffee table. Next she checked all the candles and the movies she had picked out. When she was satisfied with her handy work, she checked it all over again until there was a frantic knock on the door.

She quickly walked over and opened it, finding a very tired Ichigo on the other side. "What? What happened? Are you okay? Is Hana okay?" he asked, not even bothering to take a breath between questions.

Rukia pulled Ichigo into the apartment, "Yeah, everyone's fine, I just needed to get you here" she said. Ichigo looked like he was about to kill her, but then noticed all the candles, roses and food spread out across the living room.

"Rukia… What're you up to?" he asked, looking at her sceptically.

"Hana and I had a little conversation last night" Rukia said and Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. "O, don't worry. I just thought I'd like to help ease the tension between the two of you" she continued, ducking down to grab her duffel bag that she had put down next to the door earlier.

"Hana will be back in ten minutes, I suggest you go through the movies I got and make yourself familiar with the surroundings" Rukia said as she started to open the door again.

"Wait, Rukia, what's going on here?" Ichigo asked before she could step out of the door. Rukia sighed, wondering how it was possible for one person to be so dense. "It's a date night Ichigo. You decided that you wanted to be a loving boyfriend and make up to her for making her cry. You asked me to go somewhere else for the night, which I did without complaint. Do I need to explain the story or can your tiny orange brain guess the rest?"

Ichigo looked away, raking a hand through his hair.

"Hay, don't overthink it. This is just my way of trying to make up for the mess I brought back to your life" Rukia said gently before giving him a tiny smile. He smiled back, but it was sad, which was the opposite of what his night had to be.

"Please Ichigo, make things right with Hana. It's terrible to see you guys fighting like this" she said and hoped it would finally sink in. When he didn't say anything, Rukia left, but seconds before the door shut, she heard him say "Thank you, Rukia."

She leaned against the door for a second before pulling her duffel bag closer and going down the stairs. It was cold outside, exceedingly so, and very dark. She walked fast with certain steps, not stopping once before she reached Daniel's place.

She had asked him if she could stay there for the night, but didn't say why. Daniel, being how he is, didn't ask any questions.

"Hay there little missy" Rukia heard someone say from the shadows. She swirled around, ready to launch herself out of harm's way. Unfortunately the man was closer than she anticipated and she was unable to get out of the way before he grabbed her wrists.

She stared for a moment at the man's rough hands, binding hers together. She tried to pull them away, but his grip was iron clad. "How?" she asked, to herself more than anyone. Usually she would have sensed someone if they got close to her, but she never noticed the man.

To add to that, she couldn't even break free from the man, her body simply couldn't muster the amount of strength needed. She hated it, hated feeling completely helpless.

The man paid no attention to her desperate flailing, instead he simply pulled her into the alley. Her bag had fallen from her shoulder and was dangling from the crook of her elbow, which added to her discomfort.

She wasn't particularly scared, she just hoped the man would let go of her wrists, because then she'd be able to fight back. But, it seemed like the man intended on having his fun first.

Quickly he pushed her into the wall, shoving his knee between her legs. Rukia pushed herself onto her toes, avoiding said knee. He then brought his face into her neck, breathing in deeply, almost as if tasting her.

Finally he pulled one of his hands away, cupping a place that he sure as hell was not even supposed to look at. "Now much, now is there?" he said in a husky voice. This made Rukia mad.

In a swift motion she yanked her hands from his grip, jabbing both into the muscles next to his shoulders. The man yelled out and stumbled back. Rukia took this moment to shove her boot into his gut and as he fell forward her boot made contact with his forehead, hard.

She knew she hadn't done any serious damage, but she had knocked him out and it would be a good long while before he regained consciousness. She quickly walked out into the street, and saw that there was a man and woman walking down the road.

She went over to them and told them about the man in the alley.

The husband quickly disappeared the way Rukia had come and the woman pulled out her phone and called the police. Rukia was gone before they arrived.

She hurried the rest of the way to Daniel's apartment, just in case the police decided to look for her.

When she finally arrived, she knocked hard and fast on the front door. "Coming!" she heard Daniel call from inside and he had barely opened the door before Rukia pushed inside, slamming it shut behind her.

"Rukia?" Daniel asked, but Rukia interrupted him by pulling him further into the living room. She then started pushing the furniture to the side, once again creating a big open space.

"Fight me" Rukia said, turning to face a very confused Daniel. "What?" he simply asked, but stepped into the open space. "Don't ask why, just fight me, and promise me that you won't hold back" she said, getting ready to throw a punch.

"Okay, but you asked for it" he said and before Rukia could even lift her arm, Daniel had lunged forward and knocked her off her feet. She hit the ground hard, her wind completely knocked out of her.

"Shit, Rukia" Daniel said as he sunk down next to her, helping her to roll onto her side. "I didn't mean- I'm sorry, I thought…" he said, but didn't know how to finish his thought. But Rukia did.

"I thought you'd be able to dodge such and easy punch" Rukia said, so soft it was almost a whisper. Daniel didn't say anything, which meant he also didn't deny it.

"I don't understand what's happening to me. I can barely even defend myself" she continued, "At this rate I'm not going to be able to save myself from anything."

"Come on, Rukia. We both know that's not true. You just weren't ready. I promise that if we had another go right now, you'd wipe the floor with me" Daniel said, reaching out to touch Rukia's shoulder. Before she knew it she pushed herself out of his reach.

"Yeah right, if only that were true. If someone with half your skill attacked me now, I'd probably lose within the second attack" Rukia said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Suddenly Daniel was on his feet, marching over to where Rukia was, grabbed her arms and shoved her back onto the ground. "Well, that's pretty convenient. The only reason I haven't had my way with you is because you'd kill me" he said, climbing on top of Rukia.

She was about to ask him what his deal was, but he stopped her by pressing his lips roughly against hers. Rukia squirmed under his weight, but she couldn't get out.

Daniel's kiss intensified before leaving her mouth and traveling down her throat. Soon his lips found the collar of her shirt. He released one of her hands, with which she tried to push him away, and slipped it under her shirt.

Rukia gasped as his hand pulled her shirt up over her bra and his lips pressed against hers again. She continued to try and break free, but she simply wasn't strong enough.

It wasn't until tears started to form in her eyes that she realised how stupid she was being. There she was, crying about a situation that usually would have taken her a few seconds to work her way out of.

With a cry like a rabid dog, Rukia tore free from Daniel's hold. She didn't waste any time punching him so hard that he fell backwards off of her. She watched, fists at the ready, as he sat up. But instead of looking angry, he laughed and rubbed his jaw.

"See, I told you that you weren't defenceless. Just because you can't beat people up at random, doesn't mean you're weak" he said.

Rukia looked at him, dumbstruck. "Are you telling me this was your way of consoling me?" she asked, and by his expression she could tell she was right. "Really? Why couldn't you have given me some inspirational pep talk?" she asked.

"Seriously? When have you ever listened to any advice given to you?" Daniel asked, raising one eyebrow. "Plus, it's probably the only way I'll ever get to second base with you" he added with a smirk and narrowly dodged the second punch Rukia threw at him.

Daniel sighed when he was rewarded with a smile from Rukia.

"Anyway, why are you here? Not that I'm complaining" Daniel said, starting to put the furniture back in its place. "I'm helping Ichigo out with his relationship" Rukia said and almost started laughing when Daniel blushed.

"I didn't leave so they could have time for that, I just wanted them to have some alone time" Rukia said, getting up to help him. "And how they choose to spend that alone time, well, that's not up to me."

"Well, you should give them some more alone time" Daniel said as he stood to see that everything was back in its place. Rukia didn't answer, but turned away until she was sure the pink had subsided from her face.

"So, what are the plans for tonight?" Rukia asked, busying herself with arranging pillows.

"I was thinking we could have ourselves a movie night. My parents are out, which means we don't have to worry about waking them" Daniel said, rearranging the pillows she had arranged. Rukia scowled, once again putting the pillows back to the way she liked them.

And so the war began.

"I'm telling you, they should be like this" Rukia said, grabbing the pillow Daniel was holding and placing it on the couch. "No, this one has to be there" Daniel retorted, once again moving the poor pillow.

"You know what, I think this one should be here" Rukia said and stuffed the pillow into Daniel's chest, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto the couch. He reached forward out of instinct and grabbed Rukia's wrist, pulling her down with him.

Together they landed on the pillows, disorganising them completely. "I think they should be like this" he whispered into her ear before reaching forward and grabbing the TV remote. "Now, what would my little match-maker like to watch?" Daniel asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

Rukia sighed, a sure sign of her admitting defeat. "I don't care, just not something lovey dovey" she said, pretty sure she didn't want to create any kind of mood.

"Fine with me, how about a horror movie?" Daniel asked and to Rukia's surprise, it sounded like a good idea. They finally settled on The Conjuring, a choice Rukia soon regretted.

"No!" Rukia exclaimed as she turned around and buried her face in Daniel's chest, covering her eyes with her hands, even though it wasn't necessary. They were half way through the movie and the evil person had finally made its appearance.

She felt Daniel's chest shake against her, lightly at first, but he almost started shaking as his laughter loudened to the point where Rukia had to sit up and check that he wasn't going to choke. She was about to punch his arm when a gravity seemed to pull them both down.

At first Rukia didn't understand, but she soon recognised the sensation as the force of an intensely powerful spiritual pressure. It passed about a minute later, leaving both Rukia and Daniel panting, trying to move their weak muscles.

"What the hell was that?" Daniel asked between breaths. "Nothing good" Rukia whispered. She recognised the pressure, it was almost the same as that of the man from the alley, but it wasn't exactly the same.

But one thing was for sure, it was definitely not a good sign.

She jumped up, ran to the front door and started redressing. Daniel followed suite, pulling on his boats and coat as she unlocked the door.

"Where to?" he asked, and Rukia found that she liked the fact that he didn't ask "Where are you going?" They hurried down the stairs as Rukia explained that the spiritual pressure was still lingering and that she would be able to trace it.

They broke out into a jog once they hit the pavement, Rukia at the lead, but only because Daniel didn't know where she was going. "No, please no" Rukia said as she reached the spot where the lingering pressure was originating from.

It was Hana's apartment.

Daniel's face went hard, even he realised that something terrible must have happened. They sprinted up the stairs and all the way to Hana's door. Rukia had barely raised her hand to the door when it suddenly swung open.

"Rukia, come in" Ichigo said, his voice telling her all that she needed to know. Something was wrong… something was very wrong. She pushed past him and into the apartment, which luckily seemed intact.

"What happened?" she asked, scanning the room. Ichigo didn't waste time, instead he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to Hana's bedroom. Inside she found Hana lying on the bed, asleep.

"She said she had to go to the bathroom. I didn't think much of it, but when she was gone for fifteen minutes, I decided to come check on her. It was then that the giant wave of spiritual pressure started. Afterwards I found her lying on the ground in here. She was holding this" Ichigo said, reaching into his pocket and holding the object up for Rukia to see.

"What is this doing here?" Rukia asked as she stared at her broken lieutenant's badge in his hand. "I had put it in my bag the other day. I forgot that it was still in there and accidentally brought it along, but I don't know how she got a hold of it" Ichigo said.

Rukia took the badge, holding it between her palms as she tried to feel for any kind of spiritual pressure, but the all trace of it was completely gone. When she was certain there was nothing she could do, Rukia handed the badge back to Ichigo, glad to be rid of it.

She then knelt beside Hana's bed, touching the girls arm. Her body temperature felt normal, and her breathing was fine. Truth be told, she looked like she had she simply fallen asleep in her clothes, not even a hair out of place.

"There must have been some spiritual pressure left in the badge. Hana was just at the wrong place at the wrong time" Rukia said, standing up and going back into the living room. "But she's fine? Right?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia looked at him with a reassuring gaze, "She's fine, it was probably just too much for her to handle at close range" she said, relieved when Ichigo breathed out and sat down. Daniel joined him and Rukia sat down on one of the chairs, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"What now?" Ichigo asked using his I'm-way-to-young-to-be-this-serious voice. Rukia thought about it for a moment. It wasn't like there was any immediate danger, but the amount of spiritual pressure that was released would soon attract other unwanted problems.

"I guess we'll just have to stay up and patrol tonight" Rukia said, rubbing her temples. She then turned to Daniel. "Sorry, I guess we'll have to finish that movie some other time" she said, and was relieved when he said "It's okay, I'll come see you again tomorrow" and went back home.

Ichigo had disappeared while Rukia led Daniel to the door, but she knew where to find him. The door to Hana's room stood ajar, so Rukia walked in without knocking. Ichigo was sitting next to Hana, his one hand caressing her cheek.

"We need to go" Rukia said, her voice soft and respectful. Ichigo didn't say anything, but he quickly stood up and followed her out the door and into the living room. They made quick work of slipping into their spiritual selves and went outside.

The patrolled the entire city, straining themselves to find any and all hallows that appeared. Luckily only a handful showed up, and none of them were strong. Rukia and Ichigo fought together, but Rukia mostly gave the finishing blows and she knew that Ichigo found her unwillingness strange.

After about six hours of jumping around, they finally took a break on a tall building's rooftop.

Ichigo sat down against the wall of the door that led downstairs while Rukia stood closer to the edge, peering down at the still busy street below them. "Rukia" Ichigo said, catching her attention. She turned to face him, "Yeah?" she asked.

"That spiritual pressure earlier, did you recognise it?" he asked. "A little bit, yes. But it was different" she answered, turning back to the view. "I thought so, it was the same for me" Ichigo said. "Damn, I really didn't want her to get involved" he muttered, placing his head in his hands.

Rukia turned around and went to sit down next to him. "Ichigo, you got her involved the day you decided to see her again" Rukia said without thinking, but she didn't try to soften the blow her words had clearly been to Ichigo. His body stiffened next to hers, but just as soon relaxed again.

"I know" he whispered.

"But you're not the to blame. She was safe with you, but it's my fault she isn't safe anymore. I caused this" Rukia said, causing Ichigo to look at her

"I've endangered all of you, and I probably won't even be able to clean up my own mess" Rukia said, staring out into the distance. "Rukia… what're you trying to say?" Ichigo asked, clearly confused by her train of thought.

Rukia considered if she had tell him, or if it would only burden him more than her problems already were. At first she didn't say anything, but that wasn't because she didn't want to. She just couldn't seem to think of a way to say what she needed to say. The words jumbled around in her mind, alluding her just as she reached out to grab them.

"Rukia" Ichigo said, his voice stern and demanding. Rukia looked at him, and she could almost picture how sad she must have looked to him.

"It's starting" she whispered "I'm dying."

Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief. "Bu-but I thought there was more time" Ichigo asked, standing up and pacing around. "I thought so to, but recent events have led me to believe otherwise" Rukia said, getting a little agitated by his moving around.

"Shit!" Ichigo yelled, slamming his fist into the wall a little bit down from Rukia. "Ichigo" she whispered, knowing it wouldn't do anything to calm his temper, but she just had to say his name.

"It's not so bad, I mean if you look at it from another perspective, my life has been wonderful. It's not like I'm dying young" she said, a sad laugh escaping her lips. Ichigo stopped moving then, instead he took two giant strides and pulled Rukia up from the ground.

"Stupid shrimp" he whispered, wrapping his arms tight around her tiny frame. If anyone were to see them, they'd wouldn't even notice Rukia, because Ichigo's size enveloped her completely.

"Never say that" Ichigo said, so loud that it almost hurt Rukia's ears. "If I knew your life meant so little to you, then I would have let the Soul Society have their way with you" he said, softer this time.

"Do you know what I thought when that spiritual power suddenly erupted? The very first thought, that one thought that you can't help yourself from thinking" Ichigo whispered, almost as if admitting it out loud was wrong.

"You" Ichigo said, a breath more than a word, before he pulled away and kissed her.

Rukia's eyes shot open, staring into Ichigo's. They were also open, but only slightly and not for very long. Rukia closed her own.

At first they kissed like teenagers who had never kissed anyone before, but when Rukia ran her fingers into his hair, Ichigo reacted. He pushed her back into the wall, pulling her sword and sheath away and throwing it, along with his own, on the ground,

He kissed her lips with a new found determination. Rukia broke away, trying to breathe again, but Ichigo didn't stop. He reached down and lifted her up until his mouth could reach her throat. Rukia wrapped her legs around his waist, both her hands on his neck and in his hair as she stretched her head as far back as it could possibly go.

Her mind was screaming at her to stop, to tell him it was wrong for them to doing this while Hana was lying unconscious in her bed. But her body didn't agree and at that moment, she was listening to her body.

Ichigo's hand reached up and pulled her uniform down, exposing her shoulders, but not further than that. He then kissed the base of her throat and her collar bones before returning to her lips. Finally he also broke away, opening his eyes and staring into hers.

He silently reached up and touched her cheek, "Don't ever be okay with just dying" he said, kissing her one final time before lowering her and stepping back. Rukia's legs shook a little as she stood on her own again.

Ichigo kissed her one more time before disappearing.

She reached up and touched her lips, relishing in the numbness she felt. It was then that she realised that she had been wrong. Daniel hadn't been filling the gaps that Ichigo had left, he was simply holding them together so that they didn't tear apart.

It was Ichigo, it had always been Ichigo that she loved, but for the first time since getting back, Rukia was sure of it. She stepped away from the wall and went to stand on the rood's edge. The city lights swam beneath her, the sound of traffic filling her ears.

Slowly she looked up, completely enticed by the moon as it began to sink, making places for the sun. It was ironic in a way. The sun and moon, so clearly dependent on one another, yet never being allowed to reach each other.

Then she whispered four words into the night sky, hoping that the moon would hear them and whisper them to the sun as they switched places in the early morning sky.

"I want to live."


	11. Chapter 11

**I know I have apologized so many times for not updating, but I think this is the longest I haven't... And believe me, if I could write, write, write, I would, but unfortunately university has got me a bit busy. So yeah, I'm unbelievably sorry guys!**

**But here is my latest chapter, it's a bit less depressing than the rest of the fic so far *air quotes* so I hope you like it!**

**O yeah, please review :)**

* * *

Chapter 11:

Rukia put the bowl of soup down next to Hana's bed, hoping that the smell would wake her up. To her **surprise**, it actually worked. Hana's eyes fluttered open slowly, focusing on something far away, something Rukia couldn't see.

"Hay" Rukia said softly, placing herself on the edge of Hana's bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, putting her hand on Hana's forehead to check her temperature. Hana stirred and tried to sit up, but seemed too weak to do so.

"Here" Rukia said, reaching forward and helping her up. Hana looked at Rukia with grateful gaze before turning her attention to the soup. Slowly she reached out and took the bowl, obviously having a lot of trouble doing so.

"I-" Hana said, but stopped suddenly. Instead of continuing she lifted the spoon to her mouth and drank some of the soup. Rukia waited patiently for her to repeat the process several times, but it pained her not to reach out and help the girl.

Finally Hana handed the empty bowl back to Rukia, sighing as she leaned back into the pillows.

"I'm okay" she whispered, but her feeble voice wasn't exactly convincing Rukia. She knew nothing serious was wrong with Hana, she had made sure of that while Hana had been sleeping. The problem was that Hana had slept for three days, never even changing her position.

"That's good to hear" Rukia said, putting on what she hoped was a soothing smile. "What happened?" Hana asked, a question Rukia had luckily planned on getting. "It looks like you fell and hit you hear" Rukia said, "You've been out for a few days now."

Hana looked at her curiously, "How long?" she asked.

Rukia didn't know if she had to answer, or just leave it until Hana was feeling better. Luckily the decision was made for her.

"Three days" Ichigo said, leaning against the door frame.

Rukia looked away, trying her best not to blush. She hadn't seen or heard from him since they're episode on the roof- something she regretted every time she had checked up on the sleeping Hana. And it was clear as day that Ichigo regretted it just as much, since he wouldn't even look in her direction.

"O" Hana managed to say, lowering her gaze to her hands, "That's pretty long." Ichigo moved away from the door and Rukia stood up so that he could sit down next to Hana. "Hay, don't look so sad, it was just a tiny bump, nothing to be worried about" he said, taking her hand and leaning in to kiss her lovingly on the lips. Rukia blushed at the memory of those lips on her own, and scolded herself for missing their softness.

She wanted to leave the room, to go somewhere her conscious wouldn't hinder her, but she knew a place like that didn't exist, so instead she wondered into the kitchen and rummaged around for her pills.

After five minutes she realised that they would be where she had left them last, but she couldn't remember where that was. She leaned over the counter, racking her brain to try and remember, but she came up blank. "Where did I put them?" she asked as she once again started looking through everything.

In the back of her head she heard a door open and close, but was so preoccupied that she didn't acknowledge the sound until the source was standing in the kitchen with her. "Hana wants some water" Ichigo said, looking everywhere other than Rukia.

Rukia stopped her searching and removed a glass from the cupboard. "Aha" she exclaimed and pulled her box of pills out from the spot next to the glasses. She then took another glass and filled both the glasses with water. Ichigo didn't say anything, he simply took the glass and left. Rukia felt her heart squeeze and for the first time she welcomed the pain that the pills caused her- she didn't like either, but at least the physical pain faded after a while.

"Baka" Rukia whispered before she put the glass down in the sink. She was about to go back to Hana's room, but a knock on the door stopped her.

"Hello" she asked through the closed door, not really in the mood to look through the peeping hole. "Rukia?" a familiar voice asked, causing another wave of guilt to slam into Rukia. She reached out and unlocked the door, taking her time opening it.

"Daniel" Rukia whispered, taking him in. She hadn't seen him since Hana' incident, and she was **surprised** how much better she felt just by seeing him smile. He stepped into the room and wrapped his arms around her. "How are you doing?" he asked, a question that struck her as odd. Usually you'd ask about the person who was in the accident.

"I'm fine" Rukia whispered into his chest, not really wanting him to let go, "It's Hana you should be asking about stupid." Daniel let go and stepped back, looking down at her, "Yeah, right. How is she doing?" he asked.

"She's stable. Nothing appears to be wrong- both physically and spiritually" Rukia said, locking the front door and leading Daniel to where Ichigo and Hana were. "Hana, there's someone here to see you" Rukia said softly, walking into the room with Daniel close at her heels.

Ichigo stood up so that Daniel could have a turn sitting down next to Hana's side. Rukia retreated to the back of the room and was **surprised** to find that Ichigo moved along with her. They stood next to each other in silence, watching Hana and Daniel as they chatted about something.

From far away it was pretty clear that Hana wasn't in a good state. She looked tired and dehydrated, almost as if she had been running a three day long marathon. Rukia looked up and saw that Ichigo was thinking the same thing. His jaw was set and there was a pained look in his eyes.

She knew he was blaming himself for her condition, even though it couldn't possibly have been his fault. Hesitantly Rukia reached to the side, taking Ichigo's hand in hers and giving it a little reassuring squeeze. He looked down at their hands, but slowly squeezed back, as if trying to thank her in his own way.

After this she let go and simply continued to look at the picture in front of her. It pained her as well, and she hated be completely helpless. And almost worst was the fact that her moment with Ichigo had happened during the time when Hana was at her weakest.

Out of guilt, Rukia looked away, pulling a strand of hair from behind her ear and twirling it absentmindedly around her finger. In a way it calmed her, or at least made her feel that she was letting out some of the pent up energy in her body.

Finally it became too much for Rukia to bare, so when Daniel finally got up, she followed him out into the living room. "Well, at least she's awake" Daniel whispered, sitting down and crossing his hands over his knees.

Rukia sat down next to him.

"She's alive, and for the time being, that's all that matters" Rukia whispered back, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "When do you think she'll be able to move around again?" Daniel asked. Rukia looked up at him, raising one eyebrow, "You're the medical student, why don't you tell me?" she questioned.

"I would, but I think I missed the lecture on injuries to the soul and spiritual being" Daniel retorted, managing to give her a smile. Rukia gave a said laugh, but at least she felt a little better. "If I had to guess… probably within the week" she said.

Daniel thought about what she said for a moment and then his face seemed to light up, signalling he had some kind of idea. "How about all four of us go do something?" he asked, turning to Rukia as if she had a piece of candy and he was a six year old again.

Rukia was taken aback by his sudden excitement, but considered his request. A day out would do all of them a world of good, but there were two problems that could pose a threat.

The first being Hana. It was easy to say that she would feel better, but there was no guarantee that she'd feel well enough to go out.

Secondly, Ichigo. Sure, the previous night's memories would be older by then, but Rukia couldn't picture herself talking to Ichigo the same way they did in the past. Whether they liked it or not, their relationship had definitely changed and that wasn't something that they could just push aside.

Other problems were also present in Rukia's mind, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to voice any of them. "That sounds perfect" Rukia said instead, hoping that some form of cosmic karma wouldn't bite her in the butt for not caring that something could go wrong.

Daniel smiled and pulled Rukia into a tight hug, and Rukia could almost feel how happy he was at that moment. She returned the hug, wresting her head on his shoulder in hope that she could absorb some of his joy.

"Careful" Rukia said, reaching out to steady Hana as she walked into the kitchen. "Rukia, I promise I'm fine" Hana laughed, but let Rukia help her anyway.

A week had passed since Hana had woken up and Rukia had taken care of her around the clock, almost as if trying to make up for what had happened. Things were going good and it was finally decided that Hana would be allowed to leave the apartment, even though it still bothered Rukia a little.

"Ichigo should be here in about five minutes" Hana said as she grabbed a bowl, porridge and milk before sitting down to eat her dinner. Rukia followed her lead, figuring that a bowl of porridge was less troublesome than making an entire meal, and soon they were chattering happily about the plans for the night.

Everyone had agreed that whatever the plans would be, it would have to be something that didn't put too much strain on Hana… which made the list pretty short.

"Are you sure you're up for tonight?" Rukia asked, trying to make the question sound as casual as possible. Hana gave her a 'stop-nagging-me' look and Rukia sighed, returning to her bowl of cereal.

Rukia was busying clearing their bowls when there was a knock on the door. Every cell in her body screamed at her to stop Hana from walking on her own, but she knew that all her fussing would eventually annoy Hana.

"Ichigo!" Rukia heard Hana yell from the front door, followed by silence… a silence that Rukia was all too familiar with. Ichigo and Hana had been at it more than usual, putting Rukia in a position where she didn't always feel welcome in the apartment anymore. She knew she was acting stupid about it, but it bothered her more than she'd admit to even herself.

"Rukia" Ichigo said as they came back into the kitchen. Rukia turned around and faced him, her hands still covered in foam from the dishes that she had been washing. "Ichigo" she greeted back, but when she realised how formal they sounded she added "Long time no see" with a snarky glance.

Ichigo caught on to how she was trying to evade suspicion, or he was just dense enough not to realise that they were acting strange in front of Hana. "Yeah? I'll try coming around more often. It's not like I'm here every single day" Ichigo retorted, returning her gaze tenfold.

"Why only once a day? You might as well come every few hours" Rukia continued, deciding to play the game out to the end, or that was the plan, but Ichigo's phone cut their bickering short. "Yo" Ichigo said as he hit the answer call button on his cell-phone. "Uh-huh… okay… see you soon" Ichigo said, pausing periodically as he listened to the person on the other side of the line.

He removed the phone from his ear and shoved it back in his pocket.

"It's Daniel, he says that he'll be here soon with the car. Driving there will make it easier for Hana" Ichigo said, pulling a chair away from the counter and sitting down in it. Hana sat down next to him and Rukia continued **looking for** things to do.

"Rukia" Ichigo said, pulling her attention away from rearranging the food in the fridge. "I think you should take your medication before we go, just to be safe" he said and after a second or two Rukia nodded.

Luckily she had decided to put them where she could easily find them, seeing as she seemed to be forgetting little things like where she put things, tiny bits of conversations and the occasional zoning out when she had nothing to do. Nothing was serious, but it could cause her some headaches in the future.

Another thing that wasn't right was the fact that the pills didn't hurt as much since about two days ago. At first Rukia thought her body was simply getting used to them, but something in the back of her mind told her that they were still supposed to hurt her a little. One advantage was that Ichigo would think she was getting better.

That meant, without hesitation, Rukia swallowed the pills and made sure that Ichigo was watching as she did it. She felt a little bad for in a way tricking him, but he had enough to worry about as it was. Afterwards they all collected their things and went outside where Daniel had arrived exactly on time.

"Hey" he said to everyone and also planted a kiss on Rukia's forehead. She smiled at him and pretended not to notice how Ichigo had averted his gaze when Daniel leaned down and kissed her on the lips the second time. It was a quick kiss, but enough to put him on edge.

"Okay, you guys ready?" Daniel asked, and to everyone's surprise, Hana was the one that exclaimed "Yay! Shopping time!" Everyone looked at each other before bursting out in laughter at Hana who in turn blushed a bright red.

Daniel got back in to the driver's seat and Rukia sat down next to him in the front. Hana and Ichigo piled into the back and so they set off for the mall. Rukia was very excited, even though she didn't show it as blatantly as Hana. She wasn't really one for shopping, but she felt a little retail therapy might do everyone good. There was also the added bonus of the money that she was getting from the Soul Society was building up and she didn't like having too much of it.

She knew Daniel would insist on paying for most of the things, but she had vowed to herself that she wouldn't let him. He would probably try and fight her about it, but luckily Rukia could be plenty stubborn when she felt like it.

"Remember, the movie starts in two hours, so we have to be done by then" Daniel reminded everyone. It wasn't long before Hana and Rukia were the only ones shopping, Ichigo and Daniel simply followed them and carried the bags. "Rukia!" Hana called from a few aisles away, causing Rukia to sprint to her as fast as possible. Hana was standing in front of a rack full of sweaters, holding a midnight blue knitted sweater. Rukia sighed with relief, thinking that Hana was in trouble.

"This is perfect for you" Hana said and lowered the sweater a bit. Rukia walked over to her, and trailed her hand along the sleeve. The material was soft, something that told Rukia that the sweater was probably a bit out of her price range.

Still, she checked the price and almost had a panic attack. She had been hopeful, but the price exceeded her highest expectation. "I can't afford this" Rukia said with a nervous laugh before taking the sweater and hanging it back in its place. Hana looked at Rukia with a sad expression, but Rukia wasn't about to get sad just because one thing was too expensive.

"Come on, we've only seen half the things in here" Rukia said, giving Hana one of the brightest smiles she could. Hana seemed to relax and followed Rukia to the next section- shoes. Luckily there appeared to be a sale and both the girls bought themselves something, giggling as they searched for an open spot on their caddies.

"What's that?" Rukia asked Ichigo as she heard him grumble something under his breath. "Nothing" he muttered, looking up and away from her. His mistake, because he wasn't able to see the kick Rukia planted on his shin. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, hopping around while desperately trying to balance all the bags he was holding.

Rukia skipped out of Ichigo's range and Hana soon joined her, the two of them looking for the next shop they wanted to go into.

The rest of the two hours seemed to pass like nothing, and soon the two couples were making their way to the cinema. Once there, the boys left to go put the multiple shopping bags in the car, convinced there wasn't place at their feet for it. Rukia and Hana rolled their eyes, but waved goodbye and went to buy the popcorn.

There was two minutes left before the movie started when the Ichigo and Daniel finally returned. They all rushed into the theatre and found their seats. Rukia wasn't even really sure what they were watching, but soon found that it was some love story. She looked around at her friends and found that she wasn't the only one bored out of her mind. Ichigo, who's seat was three pleaces away from her, was missing.

Slowly she eased herself past Daniel and Hana, whispering that she needed to use the bathroom when they gave her questioning gazes.

She found Ichigo lounging on one of the benches outside the cinema, holding a full box of popcorn. "Long line?" Rukia asked, looking at the non-existent line for food. "Yeah, think I'll just wait until less people are there" Ichigo said, playing along. "Know what you mean, too many people in the bathroom as well" Rukia said as she sat down next to him.

Ichigo looked down at her before they started laughing. It was pretty obvious that neither of them wanted to go back and see the rest of the movie. A comfortable silence settled between them, somehow reminding them both of the old days, back before they had started to fall in love.

"Are we going to talk about?" Rukia asked, putting it out in the open since it was obvious Ichigo didn't plan on doing so. He sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "There isn't really much to say…" he finally said, closing his eyes and keeping them that way.

"You know, it would break her if she were to find out" Rukia whispered, pulling her knees up against her chest. Ichigo didn't say anything, but she could tell he was thinking pretty hard about it. She hated that he didn't answer her, because that meant it had definitely been an in-the-moment king of thing.

At the same time it relieved her, because it meant that they could try and forget about it. "Guess we'll just forget about it. You were sad and scared of what was happening to Hana, it made you a little irrational. It was a mistake" Rukia said, getting up from her seat. She was about to step away when Ichigo grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Is that the kind of guy you think I am" Ichigo asked, looking at her with a gaze so intense it made his eyes glow. Before she could stop him, Ichigo yanked her out of the cinema and into the nearest deserted passage way. There he let go and turned to face her, keeping a large amount of space between them.

"I don't know what's happening to Hana, you're right, but I won't let that effect my actions. I kissed _you_ Rukia, not some memory of Hana. And I know it's wrong, I know I shouldn't be feeling the way I do, but I can't stop it. When you left, I felt so incredibly lonely, even more than when I couldn't see you after Aizen. Hana only redirected what I was feeling at that time.

"I know I shouldn't be saying these things, but I don't want you thinking that I did what I did because I think little of you" Ichigo said, his confession taking Rukia completely by surprise. She stood there, staring at him with big eyes.

"But you're right about one thing. It was a mistake" Ichigo whispered, his eyes becoming sadder than Rukia had seen them in a long time. His words hit her like a ton of bricks, even she had known it was a mistake all along. "One that can't happen again" he continued, the words digging into Rukia.

She wasn't really sure what to say back to him, but if they were going to stop whatever was happening, she would have to agree.

"Yes, sir" Rukia muttered before she turned around and hurried back to the cinema and back to her seat next to Daniel. In an act of desperation, Rukia took his hand, hoping that it would sooth her aching heart. Ichigo joined them not long after and put his arm over Hana's shoulder, which in turn led to her snuggling him.

The movie appeared to be at its climax, but Rukia had no idea what was going on. She tried paying attention, but her mind kept jumping back to what Ichigo had said. Mistake… the word kept popping up every time she closed her eyes, completely derailing her. At least they had spoken about it, which was all that mattered.

The movie ended and they walked out with the crowd. Hana and Daniel chatted on about the movie, but Ichigo and Rukia remained silent all the way home. At first Daniel and Hana didn't appear to notice, but after a while it became apparent that something was going on between them.

The house came into view much sooner than Rukia had thought it would, she had hoped to have more time to think of something to say to Hana once they were alone and the questioning started. The car stopped, snow instantly starting to gather on it. It was unbelievably cold as the four of them got out of the car. Apparently it had been decided that Ichigo and Daniel were to stay for coffee.

"I hope I have enough" Hana said as they neared the stairs to Hana's apartment. "Guess we could have tea…" she said, but her words trailed away as she stopped in her tracks. Rukia, and the two boys, stopped as well and looked at Hana. She was looking at the stairs and the other's gazes soon joined her.

A figure seemed to be waiting there, his face just covered by the dark. Slowly he stepped into the light of the lamp above his head. Rukia and Ichigo inhaled sharply, causing Hana and Daniel to get even more confused. The figure walked closer until he was standing right in front of Rukia.

"You know, I don't appreciate being told to come look for you" he said, but smiled none the least. Rukia felt her spirit brighten, something she hadn't expected to happen for a while. "Baka, I didn't ask you to" Rukia said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But it's good to see you, Rengi"


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello again, fellow Ichiruki fans. I hope this quick update will make up for my last chapter's tardiness. O, I don't know if it's the same for you guys, but when I reread my story, I find that for the last two chapters the word 'surprise' is in bold. This, I believe is due to addware on my computer. I'm trying very hard to get rid of it, so please just ignore the bold, of any kind. I don't use bold. Ever.**

**Thank you very much! Please review x**

* * *

Chapter 12

"How exactly did you find me?" Rukia asked as she and Rengi sat down in Hana's living room. Ichigo, Daniel and Hana were in the kitchen making tea and coffee, giving Rukia a moment of privacy.

"Well, it wasn't that hard. I went to Karakura first, but Ishin told me that you had gone with Ichigo back to his university. So here I am" Rengi said, looking at his surroundings. "Whose apartment is this exactly?" he asked finally. Rukia hadn't gotten around to explain their little situation to him, and she just prayed that Rengi wasn't here because the Soul Society found out about what happened with Hana.

"This is Hana's apartment, the other girl that was with us outside" Rukia said, conveniently forgetting to mention her link to Ichigo. Rengi didn't ask how they knew each other, but Rukia knew she was simply postponing the inevitable, because sooner or later Rengi would find out that they were dating and then there would be hell to pay.

Rukia never really told anyone what happened between her and Ichigo that night, but Rengi had figured it out on his own and she didn't see the point in denying the fact that they had kissed. This meant that Rengi was most likely thinking that Rukia and Ichigo had been reunited and are together. Boy, was he in for a surprise.

"And the other guy?" Rengi asked. "His name is Daniel Masters, he's one of Ichigo and Hana's classmates, but we've become good friends" Rukia said, trying to avoid in direct eye contact with him. Rengi knows her better than most people and he would easily be able to tell that she wasn't telling him everything.

"Rukia, how many sugars in your tea?" Hana called from inside the kitchen. "Two" Rukia called back, amazed that the girl still couldn't remember after all the time they had spent together. "Okay, and you… um… Rengi?" she asked, poking her head into the living room to check that she had pronounced it correctly.

"O, none, thank you" he said and Hana disappeared with a smile.

"You still haven't told me why you're here" Rukia finally asked, wanting to get the subject out of the way. Rengi leaned back and looked at Rukia. "Uruhara has made the Soul Society aware of your health" he said, sadness written all over his face, it was clear that he was sad that she hadn't told him about what was happening to her. "They sent me to come get you, apparently there's something they can do to help you."

Rukia didn't say anything, she wasn't sure how to take the news. Returning to the Soul Society wasn't something she planned on doing for a long time, seeing as she kind of blamed the highs ups for what had happened in Hell. She knew it was wrong, that she had agreed, but having someone to share the blame with made things easier.

As she thought of returning, a memory made its way past the barrier she had put up against those five years and to her surprise, she let herself think about it.

_"Hakka no Togame."_

_Rukia felt the spiritual pressure consume her, enveloping her, taking control of her entire being. Her wounds started to hurt less, but the pain didn't fade completely. For the first time she felt cold, the heat not able to penetrate her Bankai. _

_She raised her blade, aiming it directly at the cloaked figure who had turned its attention to other members of her party. Summoning everything she had, she attacked._

_Her blade pierced the man, beast, whatever one could call it, and ice started to bloom from the cut. She knew the moment she made contact that she had succeeded in killing him, but that didn't mean she could let her guard down._

_She pulled away, but kept her sword at the ready, even though she knew there was no possible way that she had enough strength left to defend herself properly. She watched as the man fell to his knees, his tail and added hollow parts dispersing._

_Suddenly there was a giant whoosh and Rukia returned to her normal state, clutching her wounds to keep them shut. When she was able to make sense of what had happened, she realised that she was no longer stuck in the other plain. Relief washed over her, but was soon replaced by horror when she realised that she was alone. Her men hadn't made it through._

_She spun around, desperately trying to see if anyone had come with her, but the vast expanse of land was empty. She cried out in frustration, shoving her blade into the ground and kneeling in front of it. _

_It didn't take her long to realise that she was in danger if she stayed in the same place and her knowledge of hell had grown to the point that she knew exactly where it was safe and what resources she'd need to survive._

_She hid away for a few weeks, healing her wounds and regaining her strength. Once she felt normal again, Rukia made for the entrance to Hell. She was sad for the loss of her men, but she had realised that there was nothing that she could do other than reach the Soul Society and have the research division investigate the warp._

_Finding the gate was hard, but it was nothing compared to being stuck in Hell. When she finally found it, she was judged as unwelcome and the gates opened for her. Bright light shone in through the open gate and Rukia had to cover her eyes when she walked through them._

_When she opened them, tears started to leak out, both from the brightness and joy. She was home, and nothing could ever make her feel more relieved. The gate had opened in the middle of one of the divisions training ground, leaving Rukia amidst many confused Soul Reapers. _

_She was about to say something, but barely a second had passed before guards appeared, obviously thinking that someone was trying to escape. "Stop!" someone yelled from between them and the next moment Byakuya pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Rukia looked at her brother and wished he would move closer and catch her before she fell. _

_Luckily he seemed to notice the exhaustion written all over Rukia's body and was at her side in a second, scooping her into his arms. Rukia tried to speak, but weeks without communication left her voice weak. "Shh, you're safe now, Rukia" Byakuya whispered and Rukia closed her mouth, smiling at her brother as he started carrying her to the medical centre._

"We're done" Daniel said, pulling Rukia from her memory. She looked up just as Daniel held a cup out for her to take. She accepted is and thank Daniel for more than he could ever know. She really did hate remembering her time in Hell, it was almost like it put physical strain on her body.

Ichigo and Hana joined the three of them, sitting together on the couch. "Oi, Rengi, what're you doing here?" Ichigo asked, his scowl he always wore around Rengi appearing once again on his face. If you looked closely, you'd probably be able to see a vain throb on Rengi's forehead. "Calm down carrot-top, I'm just here to come get Rukia" Rengi said, taking of sip of tea.

Hana put her hand on a very agitated Ichigo's knee, a move that didn't go unnoticed by Rengi. _Damn, I was hoping he wouldn't realise_, Rukia thought as Rengi put his cup down. "So, Hana, what's your relationship with Ichigo?" Rengi asked and Rukia felt like she could slap him for being so blunt about it.

"O" Hana said, obviously not expecting the question, "Ichigo and I are dating." A moment of silence seemed to pass through the room, no one even breathing too loud. Rukia's body tensed, waiting to see what Rengi would do about the fact that it was obvious Ichigo hadn't waited for Rukia.

Slowly Rengi put his cup down before standing up and walking over to where Ichigo and Hana were sitting. Once there he stood about two steps away from them and raised his one hand at Ichigo. Ichigo readied himself, his muscles tensing and his body getting ready for a fight or flight situation.

"Congratulations, man" he said and opened his hand. Ichigo smiled, standing up and shaking Rengi's hand. Everyone in the room smiled along and Rukia was almost shocked by Rengi's sudden kindness towards Ichigo. Well, she would have been if Rengi didn't choose that exact moment to punch Ichigo with his left hand.

There was a grunt from Rengi followed by the sound of Ichigo falling onto the couch, causing a screeching sound as the entire couch shifted. Hana jumped up and backed away from Rengi, clearly thinking he was some king of psychopath. "Agh, so that's how were gonna sort this" Ichigo said, rubbing his jaw absentmindedly. "Seems like you haven't had much sense knocked into you in a while" Rengi retorted before taking a fighting stance.

Ichigo lifted himself from the couch and punched Rengi without warning. Rengi was just able to dodge his punch, but still got nicked on his cheek. He spun around kicked his leg out at Ichigo's head, who was able to lift his arm and block it just in time. Rengi immediately followed up by lifted his right arm and swinging it down towards Ichigo's head.

"Stop it!" Hana yelled from the side lines as Ichigo threw Rengi's leg to the side and his both his hands to block Rengi's arm at the elbow and wrist. He then twisted Rengi's arms painfully and pulled it down over his knee, immobilising Rengi momentarily. Rengi fell to one knee and tried to break free from Ichigo's grasp, but quickly realised that it was futile.

He tapped the ground twice, signalling that he surrendered. Hana, who was practically in tears, ran to Ichigo's side once he had let go of Rengi and stepped away. She put one hand up to his already blueish bruise. Rengi stood and shook out his shoulder, probably trying to shake off the numbing feeling. "You win this round Kurosaki, but you won't be so lucky next time" Rengi said, smirking at Ichigo.

Rukia put down her cup and stood up, walked up to Rengi and hit him over the head with all her pent up anxiety behind her blow. "Ouch! What the-" he started to say, but stopped himself when he saw Rukia's death stare.

"Sorry about that Hana, they've always been like this" Rukia said, hoping Hana wouldn't ask why Rengi suddenly hit Ichigo. She then turned Rengi and Ichigo in turn, "Can I please have a word with the two of you" she said sweetly, motioning to the front door. Ichigo muttered something about it being cold, but put his jacket on anyway. Rengi and Rukia did the same and soon they were all outside, watching as their breaths came out in puffs.

"That, in there, can never happen again" Rukia said as she faced the two boys. They looked sheepishly to the ground, obviously regretting their childish behaviour. "Rengi, don't go around hitting people for no reason" Rukia said, first directing her speech at him. Rengi looked up suddenly, throwing his arms to the side as he said "No reason? I think I have a bloody go reason to beat the living crap out of him."

Ichigo, upon hearing this, lowered his gaze even further.

"No, you don't, because Ichigo and I have sorted everything out, haven't we?" Rukia said to Ichigo, drawing his face away from the snow-covered ground. "Yeah, we have" Ichigo said, obviously not wanting to elaborate on the subject.

Rengi looked at the two them, not believing that everything was fine, but then again, neither did they.

"Fine, I promise not to hit you again" Rengi said, thinking for a second before adding "For this reason anyway." Rukia calmed down a bit, because she knew she could trust Rengi to stick to his word. "Okay, let's go back inside, it's freezing out here."

Together the shuffled back up the stairs and into the apartment, practically huddling together to keep warm.

Daniel was standing when they got back, wrapping his scarf around his neck. "Are you leaving already?" Rukia asked, putting her things on one of the hooks. "I have class in the morning" Daniel said, walking over to Rukia and pulling her into a hug. She looked up at him, very aware of Rengi watching her.

"Night" he called out and headed for the door. Rukia sighed with relief, at least he didn't kiss her in front of Rengi. "O, almost forgot" Daniel said, surprising Rukia by turning around, pulling her close and kissing her tenderly in front of everyone. Rukia didn't push him away, because she felt it was better that Rengi knew all of what was going on.

"Night" she whispered against his lips so that only he could hear. He smiled and without another word he left.

"I see, everything's sorted out" Rengi said before turning and leaving the apartment. "I'll come get you tomorrow, Rukia, be ready" he called over his shoulder, not leaving anything open for debate. Rukia shut the door, messaging the side of her head once everything was silent.

Hana and Ichigo had moved into the kitchen where Hana had pulled a bag of frozen vegetables from the fridge and held it up to Ichigo's bruised face. Rukia didn't really know what to say, instead she simply poured herself a glass of water and took something for her ever present headache.

Hana didn't look happy, as a matter of fact, she was practically grinding the vegetables into Ichigo's bruise, almost as if punishing him for fighting. "That was reckless" Hana finally said, removing the frozen bag and shoving it back into the fridge.

Ichigo looked up at his furious girlfriend, trying to find something to say that would cure her raging temper. When he couldn't, Rukia felt obligated to intervene.

"I'm sorry, Hana, it's all my fault for letting Rengi get out of hand. I should have known better" she said, hoping that Hana wouldn't start asking questions. Hana inhaled deeply, keeping the breath in until both Ichigo and Rukia thought she might suffocate.

Slowly she breathed out, turning around and leaning against the counter.

"I don't know what happened between the three of you, it seems I know just about nothing compared to what I thought I knew, but I'm getting tired of it. You guys obviously have a lot to sort out and the faster you do that, the faster I can pretend I have a normal relationship with my boyfriend and my new friends.

So please, either include me or don't let something like that happen again" Hana said, taking both Ichigo and Rukia aback. Hana had never been one to say something straight forward and it left Rukia at a loss for words. Hana didn't look at either of them as she left, locking her bedroom door behind her.

"Great" Ichigo muttered as he stood up and walked into the living room, collected his things and left. Rukia almost called out to him, not wanting to be left along with someone she could say nothing to. Only she didn't, she wasn't that weak.

Instead Rukia went to her room, hoping that Hana would be herself again in the morning. The Hana problem aside, Rukia still wasn't sure whether she wanted to go to the Soul Society and see what this 'miracle cure' was that Rengi had spoken about.

Sure, anything that could safe her would be worth checking out, but if it were to be a dud, that would only bring her hopes up and dash them even further down. Still, it wasn't like she had much hope left and anything that could help was for the better.

"Looks like I've decided" Rukia whispered into the darkness after she had turned off her light for the night.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Rukia woke up to several look knocks on her door, something she didn't appreciate much. "Rukia! Wake up, Rengi's here" Hana called from the other side, causing the tiniest bit of hope to bloom in Rukia's chest. She jumped out of bed and went to the door. "I'm up…" she started to say enthusiastically, but Hana had already turned around and gone back into her own room.

Rukia let out an exasperated sigh, turned around and started looking for something to wear. She emerged minutes later in the most comfortable outfit she could find. She knew she'd slip into her Shinigami self, so it didn't matter what she wore.

"I told you to be ready" Rengi said as she stepped out into the corridor, quickly realising that it wasn't as cold as the previous day. "You didn't say how late" Rukia said simply, not really in the mood to get into a petty fight, she was too tired for that. They walked to the street below, Rukia following Rengi without asking where they were going.

They reached Ichigo's street before long and Rukia found that she wasn't all that surprised, Rengi had to have slept somewhere. What did surprise her though, was the fact that Daniel was standing in front of Ichigo's apartment. "What's this?" Rukia asked as she and Rengi approached him. "You're boy-toy here caught up to me last night, practically begged me to come with" Rengi said, rubbing the muscle at the base of his neck.

Rukia looked up at him, hoping the panic in her eyes were enough to tell him what was on her mind. "Don't worry, he doesn't know why we're going. I'll keep him and Ichigo busy while we're there" Rengi said, making Rukia a little less nervous, but not exactly calming her down.

"Morning" Daniel said as they reached him, taking Rukia's hand and kissing it. Rukia greeted back, blushing a little at his sudden gentleman's appeal. There was the sound of a door opening and Ichigo soon materialised above their heads. "Oi! What're you waiting for?" he called down at them, disappearing back inside once he saw them moving towards the stairs.

Ichigo locked the door behind them and waited until their coats were hung up before sitting down. Together the three of them stepped from their human bodies and Daniel looked like he wasn't sure how to react to the amount of doubles he was seeing.

Rengi then opened the Senkaimon and all of them stepped through. "What the-" Daniel said one they reached the other side, but was cut off when Rukia slapped him on the arm. She hated when he swore. He rubbed at his arm, but was so caught up that he barely noticed the little sting.

They were standing in an open courtyard, surrounded by giant walls that stretched as far as the eye could see on both the left and the right side. All of them paid no mind to their surroundings, pretty much used to it since they saw it almost every day. Daniel, on the other hand, needed a bit of a nudge to keep one foot in front of the other.

They were nearing the research division when Rukia realised that Ichigo and Daniel were still with them, something Rengi had promised to take care of since Ichigo thought she was there for important news and Daniel didn't even know she was dying in the first place. As if her worried mind had manifested, something fell from the sky and crashed into the ground only steps away from where they were standing. A dust cloud rose, forcing them to cover their eyes and mouths. Rukia was the first to open her eyes again and she instantly knew that the crash was Ichigo's distraction.

She looked over at Rengi, who winked at her when he saw she had caught on.

"Where's the substitute Soul Reaper, eh?" I voice came from in front, but the even though the curtain of dust still surrounded the person, it wasn't hard to guess who was looking for Ichigo. "You've got to be kidding me" Rukia heard Ichigo mutter and seconds later the dust disappeared, the sound of a sword being swung hanging in the air.

"There ya are" Kenpachi said, his zanpakutō extended in front of him, a sadistic sneer spreading across his already intimidating features. "It's been a while, I haven't had much fun late-" he continued, but was interrupted by a "Nope" as Ichigo turned around and ran away at full speed. "Sorry, big guy, not in the mood" Ichigo called over his shoulder, but Kenpachi wasn't having any of it.

Rukia grabbed at her hair as Kenpachi zoomed past them, creating a whirl wind in his wake. "What just happened? And was that guy a small giant?" Daniel asked, an expression of complete astonishment on his face. Rukia explained the situation shortly, emphasising that Kenpachi always tried to kill Ichigo when he visited.

"Right then" Rengi announced out of the blue. "Daniel, wanna see Ichigo in action?" he said, grabbing Daniel by the shoulder and pulling him in the direction the sound of walls breaking was coming from. Daniel didn't really get the chance to object, so instead he gave Rukia a tiny smile over his shoulder before disappearing around a corner.

Rukia laughed to herself before walking the last bit to the labs. As always, the research division was bustling with activity. She made her way to the back, keeping to the shadows so that people didn't recognise her. After she had appeared on the training grounds, she had been in and out of the research labs quite a lot and seeing as scientist were curious by nature, she didn't feel like answering one hundred questions from every second person.

Captain Kurotsuchi was waiting for her in the room she always had her check-ups. He was practically hopping up and down from excitement, something Rukia didn't find soothing at all. "Miss Kuchiki, how wonderful to see you again" Captain Kurotsuchi said as Rukia entered the room, closing the door behind her.

Once inside, Rukia found that he wasn't the only one in the room. Urahara was also there, leaning against what appeared to be a chair with cuffs on it. "Hello Captain Kurotsuchi, Urahara" Rukia said politely. The fact that the two of them were even in the same room, meant that they either had very bad news or are determined to no extent to help her. Even as she sat down in the chair they directed her to, she wasn't sure which one it was.

Urahara moved from her one side to the other, strapping her arms tightly to the chair's armrests. "Okay, Miss Kuchiki, this might sting a bit" Captain Kurotsuchi said before lifting a giant syringe to check to contents. A cold sweat broke out at the back of Rukia's neck, not exactly helping her dwindling hope in their little miracle cure.

"You should feel a little hot once the medicine mixes into your bloodstream, but it should fade soon enough" Captain Kurotsuchi said.

Urahara put his hands on Rukia's shoulder, whether to keep her back or comfort her was yet another thing she was certain about. Captain Kurotsuchi lowered the syringe slowly, taking great care as the needle slipped into Rukia's arm. At first nothing happened, but it didn't take long for Rukia to realise it hadn't worked.

Her body grew hot, intensely so, causing her to pant loudly as her blood boiled. Instead of cooling down after a while, it intensified, causing Urahara to rip his hands away from Rukia's scorching skin. "Somethings… wrong" Rukia said in between laboured breaths. She hunched forward, unable to hear if they were reacting to her statement.

Then a familiar pain started, the one she used to get every time she took her pills, but this time it felt tenfold in comparison. Rukia bit down on her lip until the blood started to drip from the corners of her mouth. She gasped for breath as the pain seemed to claw its way into every part of her body.

"Make it stop" she whimpered, feeling pathetic for not being able to withstand it. In a blindingly fast motioned she pulled herself upright again, a scream escaping her bleeding lips. Then nothing, she remained staring at the ceiling before lowering her head to eye-level, barely breathing as Urahara and Captain Kurotsuchi stood watching her. But they weren't the only ones in the room anymore.

A robed figure stood next to them, watching her from under his hood. "No" Rukia whispered, her heart-rate picking up again. "You c-can't be here" she rambled on, straining to get out of her bonds. They didn't budge, but Rukia was determined. Urahara stepped forward, "Rukia, calm down", but Rukia ignored him, her eyes fixed on the figure still looking at her.

Finally, with a cry like a feral animal, Rukia was able to tear the entire restraint from the armrest, using her free hand to untie the still captured one. "Get away from me!" she yelled at the Hebi no Otoko, holding her hands out in front of her.

"Hado 73" she exclaimed, a white light sprouting out of her palm, directly at the Hebi no Otoko. Rukia watched as it dodged to the side and came at her. Instead of fighting, Rukia flash-stepped to the hole she had blasted in the wall and jumped through it. She dashed through the research lab and out into the open corridors of the Sereitei.

She stopped there, looking to see if it had followed her. There, standing just in the shadows, stood the Hebi no Otoko, cocking his head to one side. Rukia let off another Hado 73, taking down more than one wall before running again.

Every time she turned a corner, it stood there waiting for her. She couldn't understand how it was following her so rapidly, but she knew she wouldn't be able to fire many more Hados. Instead she decided to face it.

Slowly she unsheathed Sode no Shirayuki, taking her attack stance. She felt it just as it popped up behind her, her natural reactions careening her body around as she slashed out at it. It disappeared, reappearing on her other side. In a desperate attempt to hit it, she started swinging her sword around like a mad man.

"Get away!" she screamed and her Zanpakutō made contact with cold steel. She turned around to fine that the Hebi no Otoko had pulled out his own blade. "Rukia" it hissed, keeping his blade in a defensive posture.

Rukia pulled away and attacked him again, loosing complete control as she slashed at it relentlessly. It blocked every attack, not once making any move to attack back. Her wild attacks soon lost any recognisable routine, she was fighting like someone had no training experience what so ever.

Finally one of her swings made contact with soft skin, cutting through the cloth. Rukia watched as a red line appeared, followed by blood wetting the material surrounding it. "Red blood" Rukia said, momentarily distracted. The Hebi no Otoko took his chance and unarmed Rukia, sending her sword flying a few feet away.

Rukia made a move to get it, but the Hebi no Otoko did something strange. He dropped his own blade and grabbed her, pulling her into his robes. She fought him, using every available limb she had. "Let go of me!" she repeated as she tore at exposed skin.

Suddenly she felt a small prick on her neck, like a mosquito bite, causing her to relax completely. She closed her eyes, feeling her blood cool down considerably. Slowly she opened her eyes, looking at her surroundings. A whole lot of Soul Reapers were watching her, including Rengi and Daniel. How had she not noticed them earlier?

Then she realised she was seeing all of this over someone's shoulder. She pulled back slightly, finding herself eye to eye with Ichigo, who had her trapped against him. At first she didn't understand, but it didn't take long for her to realise what had happened.

"It wasn't real" she stated, more to herself than to anyone else. Ichigo relaxed the death-grip he had on her, allowing her more space to move, without letting go. She was straddling him, something that much have happened when her body had relaxed. "Rukia" he breathed. Rukia realised that she must have been fighting him, which was why the Hebi no Otoko never fought back.

She pushed away from him, standing up on wobbly legs, trying to make herself as small as possible before she turned away from him. Urahara gave her a questioning look, but she waved it off by telling him she was fine, well in the sense of not seeing things anymore. "Okay folks, nothing left to see here" Urahara said, waving the crowd away, but Rukia didn't wait to see if they left.

With a last look over her shoulder at a very confused Ichigo, she flash-stepped away as fast as she could. She knew it wouldn't throw him, but at least she wouldn't have to confront him in front of everyone- especially Daniel.

She came to a stand-still after a while, figuring that no one would bother them at the height they were hovering.

"You lied to me" Ichigo said, his voice sad, not angry like Rukia had hoped for. Angry Ichigo she could handle, but sad Ichigo wasn't something she knew enough about. She didn't turn to face him, too scared of his expression.

"I'm guessing you did it, because you have some insane logical reason?" he continued, keeping his distance and not coaxing her to turn around. "You already have enough to worry about" Rukia said, wrapping her arms around her waist, "I didn't want to make things harder for you."

"That's what I thought" Ichigo said and Rukia swore she heard him mutter "Stupid midget" under his breath. "If you're so hell bent on not worrying me, why did you come back in the first place?" Ichigo asked, and for once, Rukia didn't have a solid answer.

A slight wind blew, causing Rukia's hair to sway along with it. A moment of silence passed before Rukia answered, saying the only coherent things that came to mind.

"I came back because of you" she said, turning around and facing Ichigo. It was her first time admitting it out loud "And it looks like that's the core of all our problems. So I think I'm going to stay here for a while." Ichigo's eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly returned to his passive ways.

"Okay, Rukia" he whispered.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 13! I'm really making progress with this story... Right? Let me know if you agree with this, don't let me think I'm doing good when all you think throughout the story is 'What is she thinking?' So please leave a review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the wait guys! Here's the next chapter in my first Bleach fanfic :) O, and I would quickly like to do some advertising. In about a month's time, a new forum will be opening. The forum's name is Bleach AU and I'd like to invite all of you to keep an eye out for it, It's truly going to be amazing. I, for one, will definitely being taking part. So please consider it as you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 14:

Early morning sunlight filtered through Rukia's bedroom doors, the thin material not doing much to stop it. I didn't bother Rukia, she was usually an early riser and it felt good to fall back into old habits.

She sat up, stretching her arms above her head, her blood circulation starting up properly again. She felt a little faint as she got up and the moment she reached the door her stomach turned. She threw the door open and ran to the nearest bathroom, one hand clutching her stomach and the other covering her mouth.

She made it just in time, avoiding a situation where she'd have to clean the contents of her stomach from the floor. Urahara had warned her that she might get sick as the fluid they injected into her made its way out of her system, but she'd hope it would stop after a week.

She reached up and flushed the toilet as she fell to the side, her back leaning against the wall. "Rukia?" a voice asked from outside the door. "Are you okay?" Byakuya asked when she didn't answer. Slowly she pushed herself from the wall, rinsing her mouth before she opened the door.

"I'm fine, brother, you don't have to worry yourself" Rukia said, using the formal toned she always used with Byakuya. "Of course I worry, would you like me to have some medicine brought in?" he persisted, but Rukia simply shook her head, knowing that it wouldn't help. She was just going to have to wait it out.

"I am glad you're back" Byakuya said as he walked her back to her room, "It has been very empty here without you." Rukia looked up at her brother, wondering why he was suddenly saying something so out of character for him.

"I'm glad to be back, but…" Rukia started to say, but she wasn't sure how to say it without sounding offensive. "You don't have to say anything, I understand" Byakuya interjected, flooding Rukia with relief.

She smiled, a thankful smile, one that only her brother would understand. He left her at her room, saying that he had business to attend to. Rukia waved goodbye before heading inside to get dressed. At first she wasn't sure if she wanted to put on her uniform, but then she scolded herself for being a coward. People finally stopped staring at her, so she had nothing to worry about.

She left the mansion not long after breakfast, determined to get some training in. Urahara had said she should be fine, but he had said that many times before and it was pretty clear that she would never be fine. The dosage of her medicine had been bumped up, something that didn't bother her all that much.

She was walking down one of the corridors when Rengi caught up to her, asking where she was going. "I wanted to practice a bit" she said, not missing the worried look that crossed his face as she replied. He didn't say anything about it, instead asked if he could join her. She knew it was his way, or possibly her brother's way, of keeping an eye on her, but she missed spending time with him, so she agreed.

There were a lot of people on the training grounds, but Rukia and Rengi still managed to find an open spot. They unsheathed their swords, Rengi looking a little sceptical, but deciding to trust Rukia's judgement.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki" Rukia said and Rengi initiated his release as well. They took their battle stances and touched the tips of their blades together. "Go" they announced at the same time, Rukia attacking as Rengi pulled his blade back to defend. Cold steel met cold steel as they continued their attacks, but it soon became clear that Rengi couldn't keep up.

Rukia pushed herself, wanting to reach her limit and then overcome it, she wanted to become stronger. She didn't even worry too much about losing control, not with the device Urahara attached at the base of her neck. The moment her reiatsu spiralled out of control, the device would go off and knock her out.

Therefore she wouldn't stop attacking until the device caused her to pass out. A group of people had start to watch their fight, because technically it was the second best type of fight after a captain's fight.

Rengi swung his blade down, but Rukia had seen it coming. She ducked underneath, turning on her back leg and jabbing the hilt of her sword into Rengi's chest. He was thrown back a few steps, flailing to regain his balance. Rukia took this moment to flash-step in front of him, pressing the blade of her sword lightly to his throat.

They were both breathing heavily as the crowd applauded them. Rukia stepped back and both of them lowered their weapons, bowing to signal the end of the match. "Wow, I'm impressed" Rengi said as he stepped close, but before he could continue there was voice from behind Rukia. "I agree" Toshiro Hitsugaya said. Rukia turned to find him with his customary scowl plastered to his rather attractive features- if he would only smile. Not only that, but the way he always crossed his arm made him more than a little unapproachable. "Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya" Rukia said.

"I'm also glad to see you're doing better, especially after last week's little incident" he said and to Rukia's surprise he sounded genuinely concerned. "Yeah, I scared pretty much everyone, didn't I?" Rukia muttered, causing Toshiro's entire demeanour to change. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you upset, I just meant I'm glad to see you're better" he said, throwing his hands out in front of him. "No, I'm not upset, thank you though" Rukia said and to her surprise he didn't leave as he usually did when a conversation became awkward.

"How about a fight?" he asked of the blue, shocking both Rukia, Rengi and everyone in ear-shot of them. "A-are you serious, Captain?" Rengi stammered, as if he could barely believe his ears. "Of course, she was dancing circles around you and she'd not even worn out" Toshiro said, causing Rengi to keep quiet.

Rukia, on the other hand, couldn't agree quicker. This was what she had come for, a battle that would drive her past the point of exhaustion, to give her a chance to check her level of self-control in a controlled environment.

Rengi sighed and started to yell at everyone to make way, saying that if they didn't move, they'd probably lose more than just a limb. The men obeyed Rengi, but almost none of them left completely.

Rukia and Toshiro started a good few feet from each other now that they had more than enough place. _Now, give it your all_, Rukia said to herself, feeling the anticipation boiling in her body. Her hair had come loose during her battle with Rengi so she simply tucked it into her collar, even though she knew there was no way it would stay put.

They didn't need someone or something to tell them when they could go, all they needed was the drop of a random leave in the middle of the arena. Rukia had fought unbelievably strong opponents in Hell, but since coming back, she had lost some of her new found strength. It was for this reason that she was barely able to make it out of the way when Toshiro suddenly appeared at her side.

She ducked just in time as he swung his blade sideways, throwing her one foot out to knock his out from under him. He jumped away, pulling his blade at the ready the moment Rukia's came down. They continued to battle like this, one attacking and the other blocking. Rukia struggled to hold her own, even though both their Zanpaktō were already in their first releases.

"You've gotten… strong" Toshiro said as they entered close-quarter combat, speaking to her every time their blades formed an X. "Hollows in Hell… Are… There for a… Reason" Rukia said, not letting him distract her for too long, because she knew the moment she lost concentration, it would be over.

After a while, to Rukia's complete surprise, things started to get easier. Toshiro didn't have a fixed attack plan, but there was definite pattern every now and then. Their battle had been going on for about half an hour before Toshiro finally decided to step it up a notch. "Daiguren Hyōrinmaru" Toshiro muttered and Rukia watched as his bankai started to form around him.

She was hoping that since she was able to hold her ground during the first half of her match that maybe she'd be able to do so against his bankai, but it only took one attack for her to realise that she didn't stand a chance against him in her present state.

She managed to turn herself in the air as he sent her flying from one swing, landing on her feet with one hand on the ground to steady herself. Instead of fighting back she lifted her blade, knowing that she was probably about to shock everyone watching them. "Haka no Togame" she whispered, feeling as her bankai started to shape her. She didn't feel cold as her skin froze over, didn't notice when her hair turned and icy white. All her attention was focused on her opponent.

Without warning she attacked, moving faster than Toshiro expected she could, the force of her attack sending him flying, but he wasn't just any opponent. He quickly reassessed himself, his feet barely skimming the ground before he attack, sending a tsunami of ice in Rukia's direction. She countered it with ice of her own, only having to flick her wrist.

What surprised her wasn't her ability to hold her own, but rather how calmly she was doing it. The previous time she had used her bankai it had been the same, as if nothing could cloud her judgement. Toshiro attacked again, this time driving Rukia to move again and they picked up their pace. With every clash of their blades ice erupted, sometimes waves and other times just a frost covering their blades.

It was no surprise when the battle ended with Toshiro winning, Rukia had known he would all along. Sure, she had become very strong from fighting in Hell, but Toshiro was still a captain and a hell of a lot smarter than the opponents she had faced. "Congratulations, Rukia" Toshiro said as he sheathed his blade, wiping at a smudge of dirt on his cheek. "I think you've got it the wrong side around" Rukia laughed, bowing slightly as a thank you.

As soon as Toshiro left, Rengi was at Rukia's said, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her to face him. "What the hell was that?" I almost screamed at her. For a moment Rukia didn't know what he was going on about, but then she remember that she hadn't told him about her bankai.

"O, yeah, I probably should have told you about that" she said, rubbing the back of her neck innocently. "Ya think?" Rengi asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "O, come one, Rengi, it's not like I intentionally didn't tell you" Rukia said, defending herself a little even though she knew she had not reason to justify her actions, or well, lack thereof anyway.

Rengi sighed, but Rukia wasn't really in the mood to fight as she stomped off in the direction of her barracks, wanting nothing more than to take a shower. "Rukia!" Rengi called as he ran off after her, not planning on letting her get off with avoiding his questions anymore. They were half way to the barracks when Rukia spun to face him, just to be sure that no one was listening in on them. "Why do you want to know so badly?" Rukia confronted him, her patience wearing thin.

"Why? Are you seriously asking me that question?" Rengi asked, not bothering to hide his equally thin patience. "Because I'm your best friend, Rukia!" he exclaimed. "Which is why you should know that I don't want to talk about it!" Rukia retorted, stomping forward on one foot. "If it was anything else, I would have, but this isn't something you can simply shove to the back of your mind and pretend it didn't happen" Rengi said, his voice sounding sad, leaving Rukia speechless.

"Whatever happened there did some pretty serious damage to you, Rukia. You couldn't wait get away from the Soul Society when you got back, even though you had been gone for so long. Then you don't say anything to the Soul Society while in the human world. There was a time where I was convinced that you weren't coming back, that whatever the Soul Society had done to offend you was bad enough that you would leave permanently."

Rukia watched her friend in silence, for the first time realising that she wasn't protecting them by not talking about her experience, all she did was push them away.

"Rengi…" she whispered, but Rengi wasn't having any of it. "I just wanted to say that. Try to stay out of trouble" Rengi said before disappearing, leaving Rukia alone in the corridor. She turned back in the direction she had been walking, furiously kicking at a stone that had been deserted there.

Why was it that she was turning everyone against her? All she wanted to do was forget about those five years, but every time she thought things were going back to normal, something would happen to throw her back into the deep end.

She reached the barracks in no time flat, not even bothering to hide herself as she stripped down to nothing, wrapped a clean white towel around her body and marched into the shower room, hoping there would be one available. She found one near the end, sighing with relief as she stepped in. She had barely felt the water starting to get warm when there was a commotion from inside.

Rukia stuck her head out just as an orange hair woman appeared around the bend. "Rukia!" she exclaimed as she saw her, running the last bit to Rukia's shower. To Rukia's complete surprise, Rangiku was being followed by a few people.

"Finally, you've been inside that mansion for so long that we thought you'd never come out" she said, pouting in a sexy way that only she could. Rukia must have looked very confused, because the next thing she knew, another girl, Shadōri, she had become friends with pressed herself in next to Rangiku.

"Yeah, and we've been waiting for the dirty deeds" she said, confusing Rukia even further. "Come on Rukia, you don't have to be shy about it, we all know you and carrot-top were a thing before you left" Rangiku said with a wink.

Rukia caught on, but it seemed her expression didn't exactly tell them that things didn't work out between them. "O, um, you're talking about my relationship with Ichigo" she muttered, pulling the shower curtain closer to her body. "No, there is nothing go on between us."

Rangiku's smile disappeared in an instant. "What did that stupid ginger do?" Rangiku asked and for a few seconds Rukia appreciated the irony of Rangiku calling someone a ginger. "He didn't _do_ anything, he just moved on, which is completely natural" Rukia said, hoping that they would leave her along to shower in peace.

"O, bullshit" Rangiku said, "There's no way that boy would just move on, something else happened and you're going to tell me one way or another." Rukia stared at her, too shocked to even bother lying. "Her name is Hana" she whispered, causing Rangiku's face to soften in understanding. "Another girl, makes sense" Rangiku said. "Well, that at least settles on thing" she suddenly announced, drawing both Rukia and the other girls' attention.

"Tonight, we drink!"

**(Time shift)**

They set off for Rangiku's favourite drinking spots as the sun began to set, a group of about ten to so woman with no responsibilities in mind. In a way it relaxed Rukia, she just wanted to spend the night relaxing, not worrying about her problems in both this world and the human one. She attempted to invite Rengi, but he politely declined, signalling that he was still mad.

Rukia sighed as she took a sip of her drink, letting the burn of the liquid pull her from her depressing thoughts. She had moved away from the group, sitting on her own in the corner of the room. It's not that she was pitying herself or anything, she simply liked being left alone with her thoughts for a moment.

Well, that was the plan, but Rangiku was on a roll.

Rukia almost dropped her drink as Rangiku threw herself down on the spot next to Rukia, leaning back against the wall. "Tell me, why are you taking it lying down?" Rangiku asked, looking at the crowd in front of them. "I don't know what you mean" Rukia said, even though she was pretty sure she knew what the woman meant.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to do this. Why are you letting some other girl swoop in and steal the one person that actually causes trouble for you" Rangiku said, taking a sip of her drink. Rukia sighed, "I'm not. He has all the right in the world to get a new girlfriend, no person would wait for someone for five years."

"Yeah, if it was under normal circumstances. It's not like you chose to stay in Hell for five years, or like you didn't go straight there after arriving" Rangiku said, remaining remarkably calm for someone as drunk as she was. Rukia didn't say anything after that, staring at the drink in her hand as she thought about Rangiku's words.

Sure, it was true. It's not like she stayed away on purpose, but it was five years, that's a long time to wait for someone who might not even come back. Rangiku seemed to notice Rukia's struggling thoughts. "Rengi told me about Daniel" she said, surprising Rukia completely. Why would he do that? "We've gotten… close, after Gin's death" she said, hesitating as she thought of a way to describe their relationship.

"All I'm going to say is this. In the world we live, no, the way we live, does not grant us second chances. If you screw something up, you're only prize is that you get to regret it for the rest of your life. Don't make the same mistake I made, just saying how you feel about something isn't enough, you have to prove it as well. And as far as your little situation is concerned, I can promise you that Ichigo will carry that burden in the deepest part of his heart."

Rangiku then got up and joined the rest of the group, yelling "Keep 'em coming!" as she reached them. Rukia contemplated her words and found that she was right.

"Damn" she muttered, downing the last of her drunk before joining the party again.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I apologize for any mistakes, I have not had a chance to read through this chapter, because I only have like five minutes to post this! Please enjoy, and sorry for the super long wait!**

**Please review xx**

* * *

Chapter 15:

Early the next morning, Rukia packed her things.

It wasn't that she no longer enjoyed staying in the Soul Society, but it became apparent that she had too many things she needed to sort out in the human world.

I figured appeared behind the light material that covered her door, a black shape caused by the sun's light. She instantly recognised it as her brother, and told him it was okay for him to come into her room.

"I thought you might leave so soon" Byakuya said, folding his arms over his chest and regarding Rukia in the guarded manner he always did.

"Yes, I am sorry for not staying longer, but I have things I need to attend to before I can come back permanently" Rukia said as she stood to face her brother, her small bag of belongings slung across her shoulder.

"I understand, Rukia" he said, and to her surprise he enquired more, something he didn't often do. "I assume it has something to do with Ichigo Kurosaki?" he asked, looking anywhere other than at Rukia as she walked closer to him.

"Yes" she said, figuring that anything else would be a waste of breath.

"Tell me, Rukia, do you love that boy?" Byakuya asked, taking Rukia aback. She stopped next to him, her eyes trying to meet his, to understand what he was thinking and what his reason was for asking her something like that so suddenly.

"Yes" Rukia whispered.

Without another word, Rukia slipped out of the room, waving goodbye to her brother over her shoulder as she turned the corner. She really did love her brother, and she knew he cared for her deeply, even if he didn't always show it. She also knew that he wasn't particularly fond of Ichigo, but at the same time she knew he trusted Ichigo to always protect her.

She quickly made her way to the main gate of the Senkaimon, but didn't pass through immediately. She had one more things she needed to take care of before she left.

The squads were already training fiercely by the time she reached Rengi's barracks. She knew he would be there, but finding him was entirely different ball game. Luckily he also stood out like a sore thumb between the normal brown and black hair colours.

"Rengi!" Rukia called from the side-lines, waving at the red head on the other side of the giant training hall. They were busy doing routine Kata, which meant Rukia didn't feel too bad for pulling him from it.

"Yeah?" Rengi asked once he reached her, clearly still mad about their last conversation and how it had ended.

"Do you mind if we speak outside for a minute?" Rukia asked, gesturing to the front doors. All around them there were choruses of "HYU!" and "YA!" and Rukia could barely hear herself over them.

Rengi nodded and together they made their way outside and into the garden next to the main practice hall.

"I see you're going back" Rengi said once they had sat down on one of the wooden benches around a small fountain.

"Yes" Rukia said, pausing as she tried to think of how she wanted to say what she needed to say. "I'm sorry, Rengi" she started, "I've been selfish by not telling you about Hell. I didn't want to burden you, or anyone else, but I guess it's worse when you hear the news from someone else.

"I should have told you about the bite, I should have told you about my Bankai and I should have told you everything that happened to me in Hell" she said, looking at Rengi with an expression that she hoped showed how sorry she was.

Rengi looked at her for a second before turning his face forward, thinking deeply about Rukia's apology.

"Aaaagh, fine" Rengi muttered, his hand coming up behind his head to rub at it like he always did when he was embarrassed about something. "Just don't do it again" he said, looking down at her with a smile.

Rukia smiled back, and for some reason they both started laughing. Maybe it was at their soppy conversation, or maybe it was because of the situation, but neither of them really cared. It seemed that their time together was getting shorter and they simply wanted to enjoy it.

"Well, goodbye for now" Rukia said as she stood up, waiting for Rengi to do the same.

"Yeah, goodbye for now" Rengi repeated before they parted ways, both equally content with the way they were parting ways, unlike the previous time.

(Time skip)

The human world wasn't as cold as it was when she left, Rukia actually had to fight the urge to remove her jacket before she reached Ichigo's apartment. She figured it was best to let him know she was back before heading over to Daniel's and finally Hana's place.

She wondered how they had explained things to Hana. Ichigo was the one who went back to get her things and brought them to the Soul Society after she decided to stay behind.

She knocked on the door a few times, wondering if Ichigo was even home. Luckily she seemed have arrived at exactly the same time, because even though no one opened the door, Rukia did hear someone coming up the stairs.

It was Ichigo, carrying what appeared to be two bags filled with groceries.

He stopped dead when he saw her, almost dropping one of his bags if Rukia had lunged forwards to take it from his cold fingers. "Rukia" he said, sounding even more surprised than he looked.

"Hi" Rukia said, shifting the bag from her one hand to the other, a sudden bound of nervousness coming over her. When Ichigo didn't say anything else, Rukia continued. "I just wanted to let you know I was back" she said "Before I go back to Hana's place."

Ichigo looked at her sadly for a moment, but quickly changed his expression as he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his key. "Wanna come in?" he asked as he walked past her and unlocked the door.

Rukia nodded and followed him inside.

They set the grocery bags down on the kitchen table and started unpacking them together, neither speaking a single word.

"Tea?" Ichigo asked once he finished his bag, pouring water into the kettle before Rukia could answer. "Yes, please" she said, seeing as he was already busy anyway. She quickly finished unpacking the last few items before turning to help with the tea.

Ichigo placed two tea bags in the cups and was about the pour milk into them when Rukia interjected by pulling the milk out of his hand. This unfortunately led to milk coming out anyway, but instead of landing in the cup, it landed on Ichigo.

"Oops?" Rukia said, but Ichigo's twitching eyebrow told her that oops wouldn't cover it.

"Why you…" Ichigo said and reached for the milk. Rukia easily jumped out of the way and ran to the opposite side of the table, hoping it would act as a safe guard between her and Ichiog.

"Oi, midget, get over here" he said, taking two quick steps to the right. Rukia mirrored his movements, making sure the gap between them stayed the same.

"You were doing it wrong" she exclaimed, "You pour the hot water in and then you pour the milk."

Ichigo looked at her like she was crazy. "What the hell does it matter? The tea will turn out the same, won't it?" he asked, but Rukia knew it was supposed to be a rhetorical question, not that it stopped her from answering.

"It's just not the same" she exclaimed, forgetting for a second she was still holding the carton of milk, which mean that as she raised her hand, more milk went flying, straight into Ichigo's angry face.

He rubbed the milk from his face, letting it drip from his chin and onto his shirt. "That is it, you've done it now, midget" Ichigo said before launching himself over the table and grabbing Rukia's wrist. He held her there as he rounded the table, wrenching the bottle of milk from her hand.

She struggled against his grip, laughing hysterically at their whole situation. Ichigo, also in the mood for fun, held the carton of milk in front of Rukia's face.

"Do you see this?" he asked. Rukia nodded, her lips pressed together as she tried not to laugh in his face. "Good" he said, and then he upturned the entire carton onto Rukia's head. Rukia gasped as the cold milk flowed down her head and soaked her shirt completely.

"Stupid strawberry!" Rukia yelled at him, try to reach him, but he was easily able to avoid her as long as he had her wrist at arm distance. "Hana would kill you is she saw what mess you're making" Rukia laughed, closing her eyes as some of the milk dripped into them.

She instantly felt Ichigo's laughter subside and only a few seconds past before he led go of her all together.

Rukia rubbed the milk from her face before she was able to look at Ichigo, and the sight made her heart contract. She stepped closer to where he was leaning against the table, his hand limp on his thighs and his head bowed forward.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked, tentiflly reaching forward, but stopping when he spoke.

"She won't be mad" he whispered, his voice filled with pain. After a long sigh he looked up at her.

"Hana and I broke up"

Rukia inhaled sharply, trying to keep her reaction to a minimum, because she didn't want to upset him any further than he clearly was. "You what?" she asked, first wanting to confirm that milk hadn't leaked into her ears and was messing with the receptors.

"We broke you, Rukia. We're not together anymore, should I clarify anything else?" Ichigo asked, his voice picking up as he swung his arms outward.

Rukia took a step back, not meaning to, but the shock of his outburst led her to do so. She didn't know what to say, and she could see he was hurting a lot.

Finally she settled for the oldest comfort phrase in the book, "I'm sorry."

Ichigo looked up at her, realising that he had raised his voice at her when she had simply asked him a question. He pressed the palm of his head to his forehead, trying to push away the head ache that was starting up again.

"No, um, I'm sorry. That was uncalled for" he said, pushing himself away from the table and moving closer to Rukia. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"Why?" Rukia asked, the question slipping out before her brain could properly analyse it. "No, wait, you don't have to answer that" she interjected before Ichigo could open his mouth, moving around him.

She was about to leave the kitchen when a hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Why did you come back?" Ichigo asked, his voice dead serious. Rukia didn't turn around to look at him, she simply kept her eyes focused on the wall ahead of her.

"I had a conversation last night and someone told me some useful advice" Rukia started to say, not really knowing where she was going with it. "She told me that when I person cares about you, that they will carry your burdens in the deepest corner of their hearts."

Without hesitation, Rukia spun around to face Ichigo, her wrist still caught in his hand.

"I came back, because I wanted to know if I'm a burden to you?" Rukia asked, a whisper that seemed to take up al the space in the air.

Ichigo looked dumbfounded for a moment, but his ability to compose himself sometimes amazed Rukia. Which was why when he pulled her into his arms, Rukia didn't resist him, she welcomed it.

"Stupid" Ichigo muttered into her hair, "You became a burden to me the day you saved my family and made me one of you. Then I had to go and save your sorry ass, meaning that you only became a bigger burden. When you left, I realised how much space that burden had taken up in my heart and nothing seems to have replaces it.

"So yeah, you might be a burden, but one I don't mind having. As long as it doesn't leave every time it gets a crazy hormonal mood swing" Ichigo said, his chest shaking a bit against Rukia's cheek. "You want to know why, right?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia nodded against his chest.

"Because I'm not in love with her" Ichigo said as he pushed her away from his body, taking her by the shoulder and leading her to the bathroom. There, without giving her chance to speak, he pushed her in and closed the door.

Along the way he had somehow remembered to grab her bag and this was also thrown inside.

Rukia stood there like an idiot for almost five minutes before the chill of her soaked clothes finally kicked in. She quickly disregarded them and got into the shower.

The warm water soothed her, giving some clarity in her otherwise befuddled mind.

The shower ended much sooner than she would have liked, but even she knew that it was impossible to hide in there forever. She needed to understand what was going on. So, it was with new found determination that she dried herself and pulled on clean, and dry, clothes.

"Ichigo!" she almost yelled as she threw the bathroom door open and marched straight to the living room. Unfortunately Ichigo must have anticipated her sudden need to understand, because he wasn't along.

"Rukia" Daniel said, standing up from the couch, his eyes searching hers for an answer, or simply a reason as to why she left without saying anything to him.

Rukia threw Ichigo a murderous look, but he simply ignored it, grabbed his keys and disappeared out of the apartment. The moment he was gone, Daniel sprang to life and pulled Rukia into his arms, muttering how much he missed her.

The first thing Rukia seemed to notice is how different Daniel's embrace felt compared to Ichigo's.

"Daniel" she whispered, pushing him away lightly, keeping her eyes to the ground. "There's something I have to tell you."

Daniel stepped away hesitantly, sitting down on the couch he had jumped up from only seconds earlier.

"I'm dying, Daniel" she said blatantly, done hiding things from him. He was a good person, and a good friend, he deserved to know the truth.

Daniel didn't say anything, only looked at her as if his entire world had come tumbling down with only a few words. "How?" he asked, his lips quivering ever so slightly as he struggled to remain seated.

Rukia sighed and sat down next to him, allowing him to take her one hand in his own as she told him about her time in Hell and about the Hebi no Otoko. He listened intently, probably waiting for her to say that she was kidding, or that there was a cure.

"I'm sorry I waited this long to tell you" Rukia ended, her eyes meeting his.

"I see" was all he said after a painstaking minute, of which each second seemed to become longer and longer until Rukia almost couldn't bare it anymore. "How long do you have?" he asked.

If it wasn't for the pain in his voice, Rukia may have found the question insensitive, but he was hurting more than Rukia was able to handle. This was why she didn't tell people, because once against her burden became someone else's and it tore her up.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"I don't know exactly, but I don't think much" she said, feeling Daniel's entire body go rigid beside her own.

"Not long?" Daniel asked, anger seeping into his tone. "Not long?! What the hell does that mean Rukia? Is that two months, or only two days?!" he exclaimed, jumping up from the couch with his fists clenched at his sides.

Rukia sat in stunned silence, she never expected him to react the way he was. She thought he might cry, or just hold her, but anger was a side of him that she knew very little about.

"Daniel…" she said, standing up to calm him down, but she didn't know how to approach him at all. She didn't know what would lull him and what would only add fuel to the fire. She decided to go for an in-between approach- letting him talk himself out of his fury.

"This is actually unbelievable! Isn't there anything you can do? Isn't the Soul Society like thousands of years old? How do you not know of a definite cure?!" Daniel continued his rampage. "And why didn't you tell me?! Up until now, I think I've been pretty understanding about you keeping everything from me, but this is the last straw, Rukia. I can't believe you would keep this from me!"

It didn't take Rukia long to realise her plan had failed when Daniel grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Why Rukia? Please tell me?" he exclaimed like a mad man. Rukia, too shocked to even think straight, was only vaguely aware when the front door opened, an orange flash crossing the room.

Ichigo wrenched Rukia from Daniel's grip before his fist cracked across Daniel's cheek.

"Calm down!" he yelled, "You think this is easy for her? Rukia's been keeping this from everyone, because she doesn't want to hurt them. Don't think you're the only one she didn't tell" Ichigo said, his chest heaving a little as he pushed Rukia behind him.

"She- she didn't tell you either?" Daniel asked, his hand raised against his swelling cheek.

"No, dumbass, she didn't. I found out on my won" Ichigo retorted, and Rukia felt his hand grab hers behind his back. "But what pisses me off is the fact that you didn't even bother to ask her how she was feeling" Ichigo said when Daniel was at a loss for words. "Aren't you supposed to be her boyfriend? The way you feel should come second when the person you love is in trouble."

Daniel stared at Ichigo, finally realising how he had acted towards Rukia.

"I think you should leave" Ichigo said, "I made a mistake inviting you here, I'm sorry."

With one last, sad look at Rukia, Daniel picked up his coat and left through the open door. He didn't slam it, but that only proved to Rukia that he was sorry for the way he had acted.

"Well, that didn't go as planned" Ichigo said, dragging a hand through his hair. He began to turn around, but Rukia pressed her hands behind her back to keep him from doing so.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, all the bravo she mustered into the shower completely gone after her encounter with Daniel.

"He deserved to know, Rukia" Ichigo said, "I just didn't think he'd react that way. It's not like him."

Rukia agreed it was unlike Daniel, but she knew from personal experience that people tended to change their way of doing things when someone they loved was in danger. It's for that reason that she wasn't mad for Daniel for making a scene.

"You know what? I think we need to take a break from all this" Ichigo suddenly announced, stepping away so quickly that Rukia actually lost her balance and fought to keep herself from falling over.

"Wait, what?" Rukia asked.

"You know, let's get out of Tokyo, and go back to Karakura Town for a while. My exams are finished and even though I didn't plan on going home, there's no reason we can't" he explained, turning to face her with a smile that she knew wasn't completely genuine, but made Rukia feel better anyway.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea" Rukia said, returning his fake smile. "When are we leaving?" she asked.

"Now" Ichigo called over his shoulder since he was already half way to his room. Once Ichigo was out of sight, Rukia let the smile slip from her face. She sat down, clutching her chest as pain started to bloom, but not the kind she was feeling in her heart.

It faded quickly, and Rukia knew it from her encounter with both Ichigo and Daniel. "Damn" she muttered, irritated that she had reached the point where emotional strain was starting to cause a problem for her.

Half an hour later, Ichigo reappeared, two bags flung over his one shoulder while he tried to balance another box on top of his free shoulder. Rukia eyes the box questioningly, but didn't comment on it.

Rukia quickly turned of all the lights Ichigo was constantly forgetting and locked up behind them, shoving the key into her own pocket as they made their way to where Ichigo's car was parked on the basement level of the building.

The car took a few minutes to start, but started none the less. "It's the cold" Ichigo stated as they drove out of the automatic gate and into the street.

Getting out of the city was a nightmare, but an hour later they were on their way to Karakura Town, hearts heavy, but hopes high. The only thing was the excruciatingly long trip that lay between them and the old days.

"Apparently everyone's back already" Ichigo said once they were about half way. Rukia was glad to hear this, she missed the old gang. They talked about everyone almost all the way home, wondering how they've been and whether they'd be staying for a while since all their breaks were pretty long.

Once they were almost there, Rukia pulled out the cellphone the Soul Society had given her and sent a short message saying that she was on her way to Karakura Town. That was the one condition they had given her- she had to stay in touch this time, no more running around without informing them.

"Ah, home sweet home" Ichigo muttered as they passed a sign that read 'Welcome to Karakura Town.'

It only took them fifteen minutes from there on out before they pulled into the Kurosaki residence's driveway. Ichigo turned they key and pulled it out of the ignition, the humming engine being silenced almost immediately as they climbed out of the car.

It was as they were collecting their luggage that a though occurred to Rukia.

"Ichigo, did you even tell your dad we're here?" Rukia asked as they approached the front door.

"O, my father and the twins aren't here" Ichigo said as he unlocked the front door, "They all went on my dad's medical trip he should have taken like two months ago. But you know what an idiot my old man can be."

For some reason the idea of being alone with Ichigo made Rukia nervous, but she pushed the feeling down and followed him inside.

A wave of nostalgia hit Rukia like a fist to the gut.

Things had become so different, and even thought their lives hadn't exactly been a walk in the path before, it felt to Rukia as if they had taken things for granted. The little things, she almost laughed aloud as one of the oldest sayings came to mind.

"Appreciate the little things" she whispered as she followed Ichigo to his room.

"They should be back in about two days or something" Ichigo said as she answered, but Rukia didn't know what he was talking about. "My crazy dad and sisters" he clarified. Rukia recalled their conversation and thanked him for informing her.

Once they had both finished packing- meaning Rukia packed her clothes in the closet and Ichigo packed his clothes in any other available area- they headed downstairs.

"What now?" Rukia asked, settling herself on the couch as Ichigo took to the fridge, determined to eat anything and everything he could get his hungry hands on. Five minutes later he joined her on the couch, about five different snacks in hand.

He placed the snacks between them, "Help yourself" he muttered through a mouth filled with potato chips. Rukia thanked him and decided she would dive into the popcorn first, before Ichigo had a chance to devour it as well.

That's pretty much all they did- eat and watch movie after movie until the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky.

They even fell asleep there, but the snacks had long ago been moved to their respective sides as they finished them off one by one.

With nothing between them, it didn't take long before Rukia's head settled lightly on Ichigo's shoulder as she fell into a deep sleep. He didn't dare move her, but not because he was terrified she would kill him with one punch, but because in that position he didn't need to explain any of his actions.

So, before Ichigo joined her in dream land, he slowly turned his head and kissed her soft black hair.

"Because, I love you."


	16. Chapter 16

**So, I started writing this chapter with my mind set on making you wait even longer. But, then I decided, I can't even wait anymore, so why should I make you guys wait? **

**Please enjoy this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing it :)**

**Please reivew xx**

* * *

Chapter 16:

"Rukia! How far are those drinks?" Orihime called as she poked her head into the kitchen.

Rukia, vodka in hand, turned to face the already tipsy girl. "Um, I think it's done" Rukia said, placing the bottle down and handed Orihime two of the glasses so that she could take them inside.

It took each of them two trips until everyone was sitting with a drink in hand, chatting away happily about their time at their respective universities.

Ichigo was the first to take a sip, or more like the first to do a spit take.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, wiping away the liquid running down the sides of his mouth. He fixed his glare on Rukia, "How much vodka did you pour in here?" he asked, gesturing to his half-empty glass.

Rukia, not really understanding how bad the difference could tasted, lifted the glass to her nose and took a whiff. She visibly blanched, instructing everyone to put their drinks down so that she could fetch more cups to divide them.

Five minutes later, everyone once again sat with a cup in hand, but with a second drink waiting for them on the coffee table. It was that, or six extreme cases of liver problems.

"So, Rukia, tell us about that Daniel boy we've heard so much about" Tatsuki said, her cup dangling from two fingers as she leaned closer to Rukia. Orihime seemed to hear that the conversation and turned away from the boys and quickly joined in.

"Yeah, I wanna know to. I heard he's foreign? How long have you guys been going out? Why isn't he here? Have you guys… you know what?" Orihime asked, not even needing to breath between questions. Rukia theorised that she was able to do this, because instead of exhaling carbon dioxide while speaking, she actually found a way to speak inwards, taking oxygen in with every word. Heaven knows, it's not the strangest thing the girl can do.

"What?" Rukia gasped, pink shading her cheeks. "I sure as hell have not done that with him, we've only kissed a few times" Rukia said, waving her already empty cup defensively in front of herself.

"And yes, he's not Japanese" Rukia continued, trying her utmost to compose herself. She didn't mention anything about her and Daniel's fight.

Orihime and Tatsuki seemed to be hanging off her lips, very interested in what she had to say about the situation. Rukia couldn't really understand why, it's not like it was all that fascinating or anything. Still, she did miss them a lot and enjoyed talking nonsense with them.

Orihime started to go on about safety and all that, but Rukia's attention was pulled to what the boys were doing behind them. They seemed to be huddled together, as if making some plan and Rukia could almost smell the mischief radiating from them.

As if on cue, all three of them jumped up.

Rukia was about to give a word of warning, but their predators were on them faster than lightning (which was surprising, considering how drunk they were).

Uryu was the first to grab a girl, and seeing as his physical strength didn't compare much to his mental strength, he went straight for the weakest target. Orihime squealed as she was hoisted in the air on over his shoulder.

Tatsuki was next to go. Chad, the strongest of the bunch was probably the only one who would be able to hold onto her for more than five seconds.

Seeing as Rukia was sitting the farthest away from the boys, she actually got a chance to run before Ichigo could to her. This, however, didn't last very long. She just reached the stairs as a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her into the air. Her stomach made contact with something hard and quickly she was on the move again.

That's how they left the house, barefoot and coolly dressed, three boys- each with a girl over their shoulder- in the cold night.

Rukia, in the middle of the others, looked over at a giggling Orihime and a not-so-mad looking Tatsuki, hoping one of them knew where they were going.

The boys ran with determined speed, obviously very sure where they were going- unlike their captives.

Soon they came to a stop in front of a big white building, a sign reading "Karakura Community Swimming Pool" situated near the front gate. Ichigo seemed to know one of the segments of wire that created the fence was loose and all of them slipped through easily.

For a moment Rukia thought they were going to be thrown into the freezing water of the outside pool, but when they turned in the opposite direction, it became evident that Ichigo not only knew how to get past the gate, but also how to get into the building that housed the indoor swimming pool.

It wasn't until they were inside that the three boys released their prisoners, placing them near the edge of the pool.

"If this doesn't bring back memories, then I don't know what does" Tatsuki suddenly announced, "Right, Ichigo?"

Ichigo walked over to the edge of the pool, dipping down to drag his hand through the slightly steaming water. "Yeah, it sure does" Ichigo replied, his voice sounding far of, as if he was reliving an old memory.

"Ichigo's dad used to sneak the two of us in here" Tatsuki explained to the rest of the group, which also explained how Ichigo knew how they could get in.

"Well" Ichigo said, "Last one in is a rotten egg" and with that he started to strip off his clothes.

Sure, it was very dark inside the room, but Rukia thought she'd hear at least some resistance from the others, but when everyone else started to strip as fast as possible, Rukia decided to heck with it. If you couldn't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

Even with her hesitation, Rukia wasn't the last person down to her underwear. Orihime seemed to be having some trouble with her jean, so she was last to jump into the warm water.

The quickly swam to the opposite side of the pool, not wanting to get their clothes wet any further that they probably already were.

Rukia was the last to arrive, hoping the others wouldn't notice how hard she was panting from simply swimming that short distance. Ichigo was the only to realise she wasn't trying to beat him at something, but he didn't say anything in front of the others.

It wasn't until Tatsuki and Chad challenged each to a race, and Orihime and Uryu were caught up in conversation, that Ichigo pulled her to the side.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, both of them supporting themselves by drooping their arms over the lane separators.

Rukia looked at him and nodded, a strand of wet hair falling into her face from a dive she had done only seconds before.

Ichigo reached forward and brushed it from her face and for the first time Rukia was glad it was too dark to see any detail. "Good, don't push yourself" he said suddenly, moving a bit away from her once he no longer had a reason to touch her.

"WOHOO" Tatsuki yelled from the other side of the pool, indicating that she had won the race against Chad. Everyone took a moment to clap their hands, even Chad joined in to congratulate her on her victory.

Her victory didn't last very long, because the next moment Chad grabbed Tatsuki and flung her into the air. She landed with a loud splash a few feet away, spewing a string of curses (and water) in Chad's general direction.

Everyone laughed, Rukia even had to clutch her stomach from how loud she was laughing.

Their little late-nigh escapade came to an abrupt end when the doors leading to the pool were suddenly thrown open, a flashlight beam illuminating their complete darkness. "Who's in here?" the security guard called, his beam landing on Chad first since there was no way to miss him.

The beam soon found Orihime, Tatsuki and Uryu next, but because Rukia and Ichigo weren't floating near them, the security guard only scanned as far. They sunk back into the shadows and waited for one of the others to say something.

Luckily Orihime came to the rescue.

"Oh, mister Natamura, is that you?" she asked in a voice so sweet there might as well have been honey dripping from her lips.

"Miss Inoue?" the security guard asked, obviously recognising her. "Now why would a nice girl like you break in here with your three friends?" he asked, focusing the light on her.

She swam to the side and hoisted herself out, apparently forgetting that with the flash light, everyone could now see her in her underwear. This little fact didn't seem to bother her, because she quickly approached Mr Natamura, clearly still a little drunk.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. You see, we were on our way home, but we felt so cold that we desperately wanted to take a little swim. So when we passed the train station we remembered there was a pool nearby. I hope you understand" she said, crossing her arms just below her chest, allowing her assets to bulge up.

This seemed to work, because if Mr Natamura had paid any attention then he would have realised that Orihime's story made next to no sense.

"O, um, of course, Miss Inoue. I'm sure you're intentions were good, a nice girl like you wouldn't do something stupid for no reason" the guard said as he tried and failed to focus his eyes on a different point. "But, unfortunately I can't let you stay. I will let you off with warning this time, though" he said.

Chad, Uryu and Tatsuki quickly clambered out of the pool and Rukia was about to do the same when Ichigo pulled her into him, stopping her from doing so.

The other two quickly dressed and Rukia noticed Tatsuki kick her and Ichigo's clothes underneath a nearby chair before she followed the rest from the room. It could also have been her imagination, but she swore she saw Tatsuki wink at them before she closed the door.

Ichigo and Rukia stayed quiet for a minute or two longer, just to be sure the guard wouldn't come back.

"That was a close one, that guard pretty much hates me" Ichigo laughed once they were in the clear.

Rukia released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding until her lungs screamed for air. Once she had inhaled, she laughed along with Ichigo.

"Well, the other will probably wanting to get their things in my house" Ichigo said as he slowly made his way to where our clothes were. Rukia followed suit, keeping a few paces behind him.

Once he was out, Ichigo leaned down to give Rukia a hand, which she in turn accepted without hesitation. Her body felt tired and she knew she'd have trouble getting out on her own. He pulled her out gently, but both their hands were still slippery from the water.

Just as Rukia placed her foot on the edge of the pool and was half way through the air, Ichigo's hand slipped out of hers.

Rukia held her breath as she waited for the water to consume her again, but Ichigo was faster than she expected. In a matter of seconds he turned his body and grabbed with the other hand, this time interlocking them at the wrists.

The only thing he didn't consider was the momentum he had built up.

Instead of simply pulling Rukia up and away, he literally pulled her up, up, and away.

Rukia launched a few feet of the ground and straight into Ichigo, who able to grab her just in time, trying his utmost to keep his balance and both of them from falling.

"Dumbass" Rukia said, lifting her head from Ichigo's shoulder where it had landed, but when she came face to face with him, the rest of her sentence ceased to exist.

Her hair cascaded down the sides of her face, flowing in strands down Ichigo's chest.

Then Rukia said something she couldn't possible imagine having the courage to say ever again. "I was awake" she whispered to Ichigo, their eyes never straying.

At first Ichigo looked like he didn't know what she was talking about, but when his eyes widened ever so slightly, Rukia knew he had caught on. "Last night…" he whispered back, his breath tingling her drying face.

Slowly Rukia lifter her hands from Ichigo's shoulders and placed each one on the sides of his face, letting the tips dip behind his ear. Ichigo didn't move, didn't say anything as she started to lean forward. At the last moment his arms tightened around her and he closed the distance remaining between the two of them.

She knew it was wrong, that once again she was being unfair to both Hana and Daniel, but she simply couldn't care anymore.

Ichigo's lips were soft against hers, his gentles the complete opposite of the previous time they had kissed. It felt more like the first time, five years ago in a room and time that belonged only to them.

She let one of her hands slip back to his shoulder, letting her fingers press against the stern muscle.

Ichigo's one hand unwrapped itself from her waist and wiggled its way between her hair until he was cupping the back of her head. This allowed him to deepen their kiss without hurting the back of her neck as their faces pressed closer together.

After a short while they broke apart, both breathing heavily from their passionate moment.

Ichigo eased Rukia to the ground- to her dismay, but complete understanding- and ducked to get their clothes.

"Here" he said, handing her the jean and shirt she had been wearing, with a smile that said everything he wasn't. Rukia smiled back, for the first time meaning every inch of it.

Both of them turned around as they got dressed; they had been in the dark so long that it wasn't that hard to see anymore, especially with the moon that had come out from between the clouds.

Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand as they left the indoor pool, basically undertaking a reverse-infiltration mission as they snuck past the guard who was now actually patrolling the grounds like he was supposed to.

Hand in hand they ran through the streets, Ichigo stopping them one block from the house to pull Rukia close again, his lips searching hers as she met them with equal need. If anything were to happen now, she would at least die happily in Ichigo's arms.

They reached the house half an hour after the others had been caught, which meant it was no surprise when none of them were waiting at the front door. They went into the house and tidied up a bit, though neither of them were really in the mood to do so.

Rukia was the first to take a shower, but didn't take her time, because she was worried she'd use up all the hot water.

An hour after they arrived Ichigo stepped in the room, his pyjama pants hanging loosely around his waist and a towel wrapped around his shoulders.

Rukia followed his movements from where she was sitting in the closet, reading one of the books she had found lying around.

Ichigo flung the towel over his desk's chair before falling into bed. He swore silently as he got up again, once again forgetting to turn off the light.

The lights went out with a definite click and Rukia put her book in the corner of her little closet. She laid down for all of five seconds before she decided that their relationship was past her having to sleep in the closet- even if it was only for that one night.

Silently she slipped out of her bed and onto the floor, her feet barely audible as she walked towards Ichigo. He had his back turned to her, which meant he didn't head or see her approach if he was still awake.

Rukia stood nervously next to his bed, not sure whether it was a smart idea.

With a sigh Ichigo turned around, lifting the duvet up so that there was a Rukia sized hole between his chest and the end of the bed. "Just get in already" he muttered when Rukia didn't move.

Before she could convince herself otherwise, Rukia climbed into bed next to him, at first keeping her distance, but soon she found it was impossible to resist wrapping herself around his warm body.

"I could get used to this" Ichigo whispered, already half asleep and this time it was Rukia's turn to take advantage of him. Slowly she tipped her head up and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I love you, Ichigo."

* * *

**Please review x**


	17. Chapter 17

**Please insert the sound of my sincerest groveling here, because I don't even know where to start. I admit, I lost my spark over the last couple of weeks, and I'm feeling extremely demotivated when it comes to my writing. I promise to try and finish this story as fast as I can, especially with my long winter-break, but first I must finished my exam (luckily there's only Ancient Cultures 114 left to go).**

**Please bear with me!**

* * *

Chapter 17:

Rukia snuggled up closer to whatever it was that was keeping her warm, her memories of the previous night not yet surfacing.

"Oi, midget, when are you gonna wake up?" a very irritated voice asked. Rukia shifted a little, slowly opening her eyes to see who was making so much noise. Her eyes were immediately confronted by a bare chest; toned muscle moving slightly as Ichigo moved his arms.

Rukia jumped back, almost falling off the bed if Ichigo's hadn't reacted by wrapping one of his arm around her waist and steadying her.

"Idiot" he said as he pulled her back onto the bed, but not all the way back to him. She looked like she needed to calm down first.

"Well, good morning to you to" Rukia said, pulling her knees beneath her and stretching her back as straight as it could go.

Ichigo shook his, amazed at her ability to go from the biggest cluts to prim and proper.

"Come on, let's go get breakfast" Ichigo said as he got up and at the last second, grabbed Rukia around the waist; hauling her under his arm and carrying her downstairs.

Rukia figured to just go with it, because all she could think was that his feelings were still the same as the day before- a relief so intense it made her laugh as Ichigo carried her to the kitchen.

He set her down on the kitchen top; moving so that he was standing in front of her.

"So, what do you want for breakfast?" Ichigo asked, but Rukia could tell from the glint in his eye that he was expecting a certain answer.

"Pancakes" Rukia said with a straight, serious face, before adding "With strawberries."

Ichigo put his arms on her hips, leaning in until their lips were pressed together. He kissed her softly, not wanting to scare her off now that he actually had her.

Rukia, on the other hand, seemed to be a little more willing than he thought.

In one smooth motion she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him as close as possible.

Their kiss deepened, Ichigo's hands wrapping themselves in Rukia's long, soft hair.

Rukia felt as if her head would explode, as if her entire existence led up to the moments that she and Ichigo kissed. She couldn't explain it, but everything just felt completely right, even if she did feel guilty afterwards.

Ichigo leaned forward, pressing Rukia onto her back over the kitchen top, where his longer upper body compensated for her shorter one. Their heads were now at the exact same level, something that rarely happened.

They were so caught up in their little moment that neither heard the front door open and a various array of voices floating towards them.

It wasn't until Orihime, Tatsuki, Chad and Uryu were standing in the kitchen's entry way that they realised they were no longer alone. All of five seconds was all it take for the two lovers to jump apart, smoothing hair and clothing as they went.

"Are you telling me all it took was getting drunk, breaking into a swimming pool and getting caught, to get the two of you together?" Tatsuki asked, her agitation visible. "We could have done that a long time ago!"

To Rukia and Ichiog' surprise, the rest of the gang nodded their heads in agreement.

"We thought it would take another giant rescue mission, but no, just a normal human moment."

"Seriously though, congratulations on finally manning up Ichigo" Uryu said, giving Ichigo a sly thumbs up, which of course was also joined in my Orihime and Chad.

"Yeah, yeah, get your stuff and get out already" Ichigo said, but there was no denying the red tint that spread across his cheeks.

"No, this calls for celebration!" Orihime announced, giving a little jump. "I'll make us my new speciality. It's really nice. There's cereal, fruits, soy sauce, some crumbed fish, and tell me Ichigo, do you guys have pesto?"

"Or" Tatsuki interrupted, "We can have pancakes."

Ichigo looked down at Rukia and together they burst out laughing at Tatsuki's request for the same thing Rukia wanted. "With strawberries?" Ichigo asked between gasps for air.

Their morning ended up being almost as enjoyable as their previous night, this time the lack of alcohol making it easier to remember things clearly.

"This was nice" Rukia said as she and Ichigo cleared the plates; their guests long gone.

"Yeah, it is" Ichigo replied, planting a kiss on top of her head as she stood scrubbing syrup from plates.

"You have a check-up today, right?" Ichigo asked as he took plate after plate and dried them before putting them back in the cupboard.

"Yes, I should leave soon."

"Mind if I join?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia froze, but only for a split second, before continuing her pattern of dipping, rubbing and rinsing. It's not that she didn't want Ichigo to go with her, but the idea of him seeing how sick she really was, well, the idea terrified her.

"Why not?" Rukia said, forcing her trembling hands under the water; away from prying eyes.

"Great, let's go get dressed" Ichigo said, luckily not noticing how badly she didn't want that.

They reached Urahara's place about an hour later, having found the couch very comfortable after they had gotten dressed. Rukia could already see that their relationship might cause a few missed curfews or late returns.

"Ah, Rukia, Ichigo, it's good to see you guys again" Urahara said as they stepped into the small shack that served as Urahara's 'shop.' Rukia wasn't really sure why he decided the start a shop in the real world, but she figures his behind the scene Soul Society dealings weren't the only reason.

"Let's get to it than" Urahara announced as they stepped into the back of the shop, the small room holding its usual table and pillows. On the table was what appeared to be a glass orb, similar to the one fake mediums used when the trick people with fake fortunes.

"No way, didn't think I'd seen one of those again" Ichigo muttered as he walked over to the table and picked up the glass orb, weighing in each hand before clasping it firmly between the two. Rukia wasn't really sure how he knew what it was when she didn't. "How is this going to help?" Ichigo asked, his question directed at Urahara.

"Rukia, do you know what this is?" Urahara asked, taking the glass orb from Ichigo and holding it between his own hands. "This is called a Reishūkaku, and it can create a sort of spirit-energy field around the user when reiatsu is focused into it" he explained when Rukia shook her head, and then went a step forward to show her what he meant.

A dull glow started out in the centre of the orb, but soon expanded outward. Rukia watched in fascination as the blue glow solidified and created a barrier around Urahara.

"It's pretty easy to use" Urahara said, pulling the shield back into the orb before rolling it into one palm, 'Except if you're Ichigo of course."

"No fair!" Ichigo exclaimed, jumping up from his pillow and pointed a finger angrily at Urahara. "It's not like I was exactly experienced in using my powers yet."

Rukia was even more confused by the time one of them decided to explain the situation to her.

"Back when the Soul Society was trying to hang you, we used one of those to get into the Sereitei without killing ourselves… well, to get into the Sereitei" Ichigo explained, but he didn't go into much detail about it.

"Okay, but how is this going to help me?" Rukia asked, taking the orb from Urahara. It was cold in her hands, despite the amount of hands that touched it before Rukia got it. She could tell it was fragile, but at the same time she knew it would take more than a little fall to shatter it.

"I want you to focus your reiatsu into it, I want to see what the colour looks like" Urahara said as he and Ichigo sat down on the pillows to give Rukia some extra room. Rukia nodded, placing both her hands firmly on the sides of the orb.

Taking a deep breath, Rukia summoned her reiatsu into her palms before ejecting it into the glass orb, letting it flow from her body.

"See, Rukia got it the first time" she heard Urahara whisper, followed by a "Whatever" from an annoyed sounding Ichigo.

When she felt certain her reiatsu was stable, Rukia expanded it outwards, trying to mimic what Urahara had done. Her eyes closed as she struggles to push it out, her breathing becoming laboured by the sheer amount of focus she needed.

Finally she felt the reiatsu was far enough, and forming it into a barrier didn't take much from there on out. She opened her eyes when she felt the shield tighten and become secure, but what she saw was not soothing.

Where Urahara's shield had been a clear blue, Rukia's was a mixture of the same blue and a dark purple swirling together. Rukia stared at the shield around her, her mind struggling to make sense of what was going on. Before she could drive herself crazy, Rukia pulled both her hands away from the orb. It clattered to the ground and rolled away from her, but Rukia didn't care.

"What was that?" Rukia asked Urahara, hoping that he could at least answer some of the questions taking over his thoughts.

"It's as I feared" Urahara said, his head bent forward so that his hat covered his eyes from both Rukia and Ichigo. Rukia felt like her body became stone, all hopes vanquished with only a few words.

"The poison is taking over you reiatsu, slowly taking hold of you and your spiritual powers. Even if I could save your body, there is nothing I can do about your spirit… not anymore" Urahara said, standing up as he explain things to her.

"Are you telling me that there's no way to save her?" Ichigo exclaimed, jumping up from his pillow and grabbing Urahara by the shoulder. "I don't care what it takes, just tell me of a way to save her."

Rukia's heart broke with each word, Ichigo's pleas reminding her why she chose to keep her illness to herself in the first place- it was tearing him apart almost as much as it was eating her alive.

Urahara didn't make a move to brush off Ichigo's grip, because it was the only comfort he could give to him.

They left not long after, Rukia gripped Ichigo's hand tightly as they navigated their way back to the Kurosaki residence. Neither spoke, they simply found consolation in being able to be together after everything.

"I promised you I'd find a way" Ichigo said as they neared the house.

"I know you did, but you heard Urahara, there is nothing you can do" Rukia said, her eyes meeting his as they came to a halt at the front door. "I just want to enjoy the rest of the time I have left with you."

Ichigo pulled her into his chest, his arms wrapping around her like she was going to disappear at that very moment, but Rukia didn't have any intentions of going down before her time. Slowly she pushed away and raised herself until Ichigo caught on. He met her half way, bending his head down until their lips met.

"Whatever happens, I want you at my side when the day comes" Rukia whispered against his lips as they pulled apart to breathe. Ichigo pulled her close again, straightening himself out until Rukia's feet were dangling to the ground.

"Rukia, I-" Ichigo began to say, but the sound of footsteps behind them broke their moment.

"I knew it" their unexpected visitor said, her voice radiating with anger as she kept her eye firmly locked on Ichigo and Rukia's close state. There was no way to deny their relationship when they were caught red-handed.

"You said it wasn't because of her" Hana exclaimed, "You promised we didn't break up because you have feelings for Rukia!"

Ichigo put Rukia back down, turning so that he was facing a seething Hana.

"Hana, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, his voice calm. Rukia watched Hana from Ichigo's side, trying her best to avoid her friend's eyes.

"Daniel told me he saw you guys drive away, and that you weren't home when he visited the next day. I knew you'd come here so I came as well, but I wasn't exactly thinking it was a little lover's retreat" Hana spit out between clenched teeth, her hands balling into fists at her side.

For the first time it struck Rukia that it was the first time that she saw Hana acting like this. Sure, Hana had been mad at them once before, but she wasn't mad now- Hana was furious beyond measures.

Ichigo sighed. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way" he said. Any sane person would have been able to hear the regret and sadness in his voice, but Hana was past the point of listening to any excuses they may have.

"And you" Hana said, completely ignoring Ichigo as she turned her attention to Rukia, "You planned this from the start, didn't you?" she asked, her words like daggers.

"Of course she didn't" Ichigo said, standing up for a speechless Rukia. "Listen to yourself, Hana. You trying to put the blame on Rukia, but breaking up with you was my choice, she wasn't even here when I decided."

"O yes, of course, where were you? Or let me guess, it's a secret?" Hana said, "But I'm guessing Ichigo knows?"

No ones poke after that, because it was pretty clear there was no way that Ichigo and Rukia could deny that they were keeping secrets from Hana; secrets that they shared between themselves.

Luckily they were saved by a car pulling into the driveway in front of the medical clinic. They all turned as three doors opened and closed, Mr Kurosaki, Karin and Yuzu soon appearing around the corner.

Two groups of people stared at each other, both a little confused by the other's presence. As always, Mr Kurosaki was able to read the situation completely wrong and even managed to worsen it by calling "My two daughters-in-law!"

Hana seemed to pull herself together enough to say, "It's nice to see you again Mr Kurosaki. Yuzu, Karin. Goodbye, Rukia and Ichigo, enjoy your stay at home." Her words were kind, but there was no mistaking the venom behind them, unless of course you were Mr Kurosaki.

Rukia shivered as Hana turned and left, the hate in her eyes still lingering in Rukia's memory.

* * *

** I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I'm sorry for any (or all) spelling and grammar mistakes, I don't really have time to edit at the moment, but I'll be sure to do so in a weeks time. Also, please tell me if I'm being a tad too dramatic, I don't want it to look dumb. So, this means please review! Like I said, my motivation is pretty low and whenever I get a review, I have the urge to start writing immediately.**

**Thank you very much!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello fellow Bleach lovers! I hope you're all enjoying my story up until now, please tell me if there's something I should work on or change completely. Thank you for all the reviews I've gotten up to date, your reviews have really been super helpful and motivating :) Please continue to support me the way all of you have!**

* * *

Chapter 18:

They returned to Tokyo a week after Hana's surprise visit. It was clear that hiding in Karakura Town was not going to be a permanent solution, not with Ichigo's classes starting up again.

"Rukia, promise me you won't do something stupid while I'm at class" Ichigo said as they sat down to have breakfast one morning. Rukia wasn't really sure what he was referring to, but she guessed he meant that she shouldn't go visit Hana and apologize.

"I just want to go see Daniel, I don't like how we left things" Rukia said before taking a large bite of her Chappie cereal- she'd been looking forward to eating it since she saw it in stores the first time a few days before.

"I guess that's fine, but just be on your guard" he replied, stealing a bite from her bowl when she was busy chewing.

"Hey!" Rukia exclaimed, putting her hand up to her mouth when she realised she was going to spit out her food. "Mine" she muttered between closed lips and pulled the bowl away from Ichigo, using her arms to cover it.

"Yeah, yeah, it's your pink cereal, I get it" Ichigo said, but a smiled played on his lips and it made Rukia's heart skip a beat. He really was doing something to her, and she loved it. She loved him.

"Well, I'm off. See you this afternoon" Ichigo said as he placed his bowl in the sink and slung his book-bag securely over his shoulder before leaving the kitchen.

"O, almost forgot" Ichigo called as he jogged back into the room, grabbed Rukia by her wrist and pulled her onto her feet. He kissed her gently, savouring the moment before he let go and left the apartment.

Rukia stayed for an hour after that, cleaning up the apartment as she thought about what she would say to Daniel if he was home. She knew she would have to break things off with him, but the idea of facing him wasn't soothing.

Once she realised there was nothing left to clean, Rukia left.

The walk to Daniel's house was quick since she knew it off by heart, and she just wanted to get the conversation over as soon as possible. Fists clenched and unclenched inside her pocket as she stepped into the elevator and told the man waiting which floor she was heading.

Thank you" Rukia said as she stepped into the hallway, following it until she reached Daniel's number. She knocked three times and stepped back.

The door opened not long after, Daniel's mother sticking her head out to see who was at the door. "Rukia!" she exclaimed, pulling Rukia into her arms and hugging her tightly.

"Hello, Mrs Masters" Rukia said, patting the woman lightly on the back instead of hugging her, "I was wondering if Daniel was here."

"Yes, I'll take you to him" Mrs Masters said as she stepped aside to let Rukia pass.

"O, don't trouble yourself, I can go on my own. Is he in his room?" Rukia said, waving her hands in front of her face. Mrs Masters nodded and headed off to the living room as she turned and out of sight.

Rukia hesitated in front of his Daniel's room, her hand hovering parallel to it. Reminding herself that it was cruel to keep stringing him along, Rukia knocked.

"Come in!" Daniel called from inside.

Rukia eased the door open, stepped into the warm room and silently closed the door behind her. She had always thought Daniel's room was a lot like him- comfortable and welcoming. But now, standing by the door, she didn't feel either of those things.

Daniel was seated at his desk, his back turned to Rukia, which meant he didn't know it was her who was there and not his mother.

"Daniel" Rukia said, watching as his entire body went rigid from the sound of her voice.

Slowly he swung around, his eyes widening as they made contact with her small frame on the other side of the room.

"You're back" Daniel whispered. His eyes softened and he straightened himself up, taking two steps forward. He moved to take another step, but stopped himself when he noticed Rukia's entire demeanour.

"I have a feeling you didn't come here to tell me you forgive me" Daniel said, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He looked lost.

"No…" Rukia said, "I came to tell you I forgive you, but also that I can't return your feelings."

Daniel inhaled and exhaled, his jaw clenching as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. Finally he looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "Guess I had to see that one coming" he said, raking one hand through his hair. "Does Ichigo have anything to do with this?" he added a second later.

"Daniel-" she started to say, but Daniel's intense gaze told her that he could handle the truth. "Yes."

"So Hana wasn't lying" Daniel said, crossing the last bit of distance between them. He stopped when there was a comfortable distance left between them, extending his hand towards her.

"Friends?" he asked.

Rukia felt her heart lift a little, but she didn't completely forget the way he had treated her the last time they saw each other. Still, she considered him to be a close friend and one fight wasn't enough to change her opinion about him.

"Friends" Rukia said, his hand swallowing hers as they shook on it.

"Speaking of Hana, do you know how she's doing?" Rukia asked once her goal was accomplished. Daniel settled into his former position and Rukia sat down at the end of his bed.

"She's pretty torn up" Daniel admitted, "We only spoke over the phone, but she started crying half-way through."

Rukia felt her stomach churn; this is what she wanted to avoid, but she should have known it would happen eventually, there was no way she and Ichigo would have kept away from each other.

"Actually, she hasn't been acting like herself recently" Daniel continued. "Before she ran into you, she called me and asked if we could meet. It was after… well, you know, and I agreed. We met at a coffee shop and things were pretty normal for the first bit. She told me that Ichigo had broken up with her, but she wasn't sure why. Then the topic turned to you."

Rukia looked up at this, wondering why what he was telling her was relevant to their conversation. If he wanted to have coffee with Hana, and discuss her, he had all the right in the world.

"She told me that she suspected Ichigo broke up with her so that the two of you could be together, something I actually agreed with, but after that her questions became strange. She started asking me questions related to things I couldn't explain, things related to your little secret" Daniel said.

"You mean about the Soul Society and such?" Rukia asked. Daniel nodded, "Like if I believed in spirits and other realms. Then she asked if I ever noticed any strange behaviour coming from you, and even Ichigo for that matter. I was able to avoid the questions or vaguely answer them, but I think she noticed I was purposefully avoiding her."

Rukia took in the information Daniel was giving her, trying to figure out what Hana was trying to achieve by asking questions about things she couldn't possibly know about.

"She even said she did some investigation into you and she couldn't find anything about you. Rukia, I think you need to set things straight with her before she finds something you can't explain" Daniel said, his voice completely serious.

"I guess I have to" Rukia muttered, knowing that she was going to go against the one things Ichigo told her not to do, but what choice was there?

"Okay, I'll go do that now" Rukia said, jumping from the bed as she did.

Rukia left the Masters' apartment after that, feeling a bit more relieved with how things were between her and Daniel. She knew it would never be the same again, but she was just glad to have him back.

On her way to Hana's apartment, Rukia collected her thoughts. There was no way Hana would be okay with everything, and Rukia was preparing herself for the worst case scenario.

She knocked twice, the sound of her knuckles on the wood practically echoing so nervous was she.

The door opened a crack, revealing a very distraught looking Hana.

"Rukia" Hana said, her eyes narrowing dangerously, "What do you want?" The venom in Hana's words struck deep with Rukia, but she was determined to make peace.

"I came to speak to you" Rukia said, her voice steady and collected.

Hana thought her request over and after a few seconds stood aside to let Rukia enter. Her apartment was a mess; clothes strewn all over the place, take-away boxes left empty, a thin layer of dust covering the places she didn't come into contact with.

Hana closed the door and settles down on the couch, giving Rukia a "Well, what are you waiting for?" look. Rukia didn't plan on backing down.

"Firstly, I want to apologize. I know I hurt you, and please believe me when I say that I did my best to avoid this situation" Rukia started, but the stone cold look in Hana's eyes told her that it wouldn't cut it. "I know what you must be thinking. I became friends with you, because I wanted to get closer to Ichigo, but I promise that was never my intention. In the end, I just couldn't help it…"

Hana seemed to soften up for a split second, her old self vaguely recognisable behind her locked-up exterior, but it didn't last long.

"Then why did you? Rukia, I let you live with me. I trusted you, and what do you give me in return? My relationship with Ichigo was perfect until you came back from wherever the hell you were before. And it's not just the way Ichigo acted towards me. The random disappearances and secrets became more and when I confronted him about them, he never gave me a straight answer, but you, you seem to know exactly what's going on" Hana said, standing up from the couch as she became angrier.

Rukia watched as the radiant, cheerful Hana she came to know was swallowed by the exhausted, angry person that was now confronting her. It terrified her to think love could do something so terrible to a person. No, that she was able to do that to a person.

"I didn't mean to, I just wanted to see everyone again. I didn't think I'd actually be able to li- I mean stay as long as I have" Rukia tried defending herself, but no amount of apologising would reach Hana while she was worked up.

"Well, you should have left" Hana said, making it clear what she thought about Rukia's presence.

"I know" Rukia simply muttered, not denying the truth.

Hana opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her hand shot up and covered her lips as the other clutched at her stomach before she double over.

"Hana?" Rukia asked, watching as the girl sunk to her knees next to the couch. For a moment Rukia thought she might be sick, but it was clear that she was in pain and not about to throw up.

Putting their argument aside, Rukia threw herself down next to Hana and tried to comfort her by gently rubbing her back while asking what was wrong. Hana didn't say anything back, only started shaking uncontrollably.

"Hana, please, is there anything I can do?" Rukia begged the girl, panic creeping into her voice even while she was trying to stay calm.

"No, get away from me!" Hana yelled, using her arm to elbow Rukia from her side. Rukia fell backwards, her arms shouting out to stop her from rolling onto her back.

"You did this to me" Hana whimpered, wrapping both her hands around her waist, almost as if trying to comfort herself.

"Hana?" Rukia asked again, pushing herself back onto her heels and reaching out to Hana's bent over figure. Hana looked up the moment Rukia was close, their eyes locking.

There was barely even time, Rukia didn't see it coming before it was too late. In the split second Rukia managed to recoil, Hana was on her. Thin fingers wrapped around Rukia's neck, shoving her down hard until her back made contact with the floor. Hana managed to get between her legs, making it impossible to push herself away.

"It's all your fault" Hana whispered centimetres away from Rukia's face. Then Hana tightened her grip, choking Rukia where she lay, unable to defend herself from a person she believed to be harmless.

"Ha-na" she gasped, her fingers clawing desperately to get between Hana's hands and her constricted throat. The lack of oxygen to her brain was making it hard to focus and the attack had taken her by surprise, leaving her without time to think of a way to defend herself.

With the last bit consciousness she had left, Rukia planted her left foot on Hana's hip, her hands wrapping around Hana's right wrist. She then brought her right leg between their bodies and hooked it around Hana's left shoulder. With a suppressed grunt, Rukia managed to pull her leg across, throwing Hana to her right, her arm securely locked in place.

"Hana, stop it! Calm down!" Rukia grunted, her foggy mind getting clearer with every breath she took. Hana struggled against her, but Rukia was had the upper hand in their position. With no other options left, Rukia resorted to more drastic measures, hoping to shock Hana out of her sudden lapse in judgement.

Hana exclaimed as Rukia put pressure on her elbow joint, her body arching beneath Rukia's legs. When Rukia was sure Hana's attention was on the searing pain in her arm, she let go, shakily jumping to her feet before she sprinted to the door. It was locked, but luckily she knew the fastest way to get it open.

Rukia barely heard the door shut as her feet hit the pavement of the street below.

* * *

**Please review x**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi guys :) I hereby bring you chapter 19. I decided to make it a little frisky, but not enough to rate it mature. So, today is my birthday! Yay, I'm 19 and I really wish I won't get older. Please make my day by commenting your thoughts, I really think I'll need the added excitement of a comment! In return, I'll make you guys a deal (Now you're intrigued). For every comment I receive, I promise to add a super cute Ichiruki scene, and who knows, maybe I'll write an entire one-shot about their first real date. So, pretty please, leave a comment below :D**

* * *

By the time Rukia reached Ichigo's apartment, her legs were numb and she was breathing hard and loud, practically panting from running all the way.

It was still an hour or two before Ichigo returned from class and Rukia didn't plan on looking like a victim when he did. Before she told him what happened, she wanted to think things over for herself.

A shower seemed like a good idea and soon Rukia found that it was exactly what she needed. Her mind started to clear up and she was able to put her thoughts back in line.

Her immediate concern was why, why would Hana attack her? Rukia had watched her fair share of teen-dramas, and she knew girls could get pretty nasty when it came to boys, but none of them ever tried to kill each other. And from the look in Hana's eyes, Rukia knew that the girl wanted her dead more than anything. But why? Yes, Rukia had hurt her, but was a ruined relationship really enough for someone like Hana to completely lose it? Rukia couldn't imagine that it was the only reason; there had to be something she was missing.

Hot water poured down her head, sticking her hair to her body and soothing her aching muscles. If only it could have the same effect on her nerves.

After what felt like hours, Rukia closed the taps and stepped into the steamed bathroom. Due to the steam, she almost didn't see herself in the mirror as she wrapped a towel around her body.

Grabbing the nearest try object, Rukia rubbed away most of the condensation that clung to the mirror's smooth surface. Slowly her hands reached up to her neck, her fingers tips skimming over the red marks covering her skin. Only a blind person wouldn't know that they were hand marks.

As she got dressed, Rukia wrapped a scarf around her neck, readjusting it until none of the bruises could be seen. She then added some make-up, something she was doing more often, because it hid the fact she was getting more drawn out by the day.

When she realised there was not much more she could do, Rukia left for the kitchen to take her medicine.

Her forgetfulness was getting worse, so she left the medicine on the table in the kitchen, somewhere she couldn't possibly miss it. In one go she swallowed it, waiting for the slight bit of pain that now accompanied it. She never thought she'd miss the pain that she originally felt when drinking the pills, at least it meant they were working.

By the time Ichigo arrived, Rukia was planted comfortably on the couch, watching a show that she liked quite a lot.

"Welcome back" Rukia said, keeping her head low as she greeted Ichigo, not wanting to stretch in for fear of the bruises peeking out above the scarf.

"Hey" Ichigo greeted back and placed his bag on the kitchen table before joining her on the couch. Rukia scooted closer to him. Ichigo, catching on, lifted his arm and pulled her into his side.

"So, how did you thins go with Daniel?" Ichigo asked, but Rukia could hear he was only asking because he knew how badly she wanted to make peace with him. She decided to poke some fun out of Ichigo.

"Do you want the truth or another reason to punch him?"

Ichigo grumbled something under his breath and turned his head to the other way, but not before Rukia could see the faint tint of blush stretching from ear to ear.

"Are you jealous?" Rukia asked, trying to shift herself around him so that she could see his expression.

"No" Ichigo said, but his permanent scowl seemed a bit off.

"You totally are" Rukia cooed, poking him directly between the ribs. Ichigo crossed his arms and turned to face further away from her, "I'm not jealous, Rukia" he insisted.

"Oh, yeah, and my brother is definitely okay with leaving me alone in the human world with a strawberry like you" Rukia said, giving a little snort to prove how unconvincing he sounded.

"Oh, yeah?" Ichigo asked and by his tone Rukia instantly readied herself for his taunt, but it never came. Instead Ichigo grabbed her arm and pulled her over him, then flipped himself so that he was hunched over her, their faces inches apart.

"Then, for the sake of this argument, pretend that I'm not jealous. Then your brother wouldn't mind if I did this to you?" Ichigo asked, his eyes gleaming mischievously as he lowered his head and pressed his lips just below her ear.

"So, you are jealous?" Rukia whispered, instinctively arching her neck to give him more space.

"No."

Ichigo kissed her again, his mouth slowly working up her jaw until he reached her chin. "If I was, Byakuya would kill me now" Ichigo continued as he dipped his head to the centre of her throat.

Rukia was completely lost in the moment, so much so that she didn't realise when Ichigo's hand snaked forward and wrapped around one edge of her scarf. Ichigo managed to tug the scarf down in one go, but fortunately for Rukia he didn't seem to have his eyes open.

Thinking on her feet, Rukia pulled his chin up and brought his lips down on her own, knowing that it would at least keep his eyes closed.

But this plan was also very hard to use when you needed to concentrate on anything, because the moment their lips met, Rukia felt everything go right.

Ichigo touched his hand to her cheek after a while, stroking it with his thumb before he moved to her neck. Without meaning to she gasped as his hand slid over the bruises, causing Ichigo to open his eyes to find out what was wrong.

He searched her face for a second, but when he realised it was pain, Ichigo lowered his gaze to where his hand was. Rukia could clearly see when realisation dawned on him and was able to grab his arm when he jumped off of her.

"Wait, Ichigo" she exclaimed, yanking hard on his arm.

"Bastard, I'm going to kill him" Ichigo said, barely feeling her attempts at pulling him back.

"Wait, what?" Rukia asked, confused as to who he was talking about. Then she realised he though Daniel had attacked her.

"Daniel didn't do this, I promise!" Rukia pleaded, for the first time getting through to Ichigo. He looked at her with a confused expression, "Then who did?" he asked.

Rukia lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Rukia, tell me who hurt you" Ichigo repeated, gently taking her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo, I know you told me not to go see Hana, but I thought setting things straight was better than letting her get all kinds of wrong ideas about us, about me" Rukia said.

For a moment Ichigo looked like Rukia had flung a brick at him, but how else was he supposed to react when she just told him that his ex-girlfriend tried to strangle her to death.

"No, Hana wouldn't do something like that. And even is she tried, there's no way she could have enough power to cause that much damage" Ichigo said.

"That's why I didn't see any harm in going to her, but apparently she's been holding back on you" Rukia said, hoping a joke would ease the tension.

"No, Rukia, you know Hana, she wouldn't just attack someone" Ichigo said.

"If there weren't strangle marks around my neck, I would think it was a dream" Rukia said, lifting her hands once again to her neck, almost as if to make sure that the bruises really were there and that she wasn't imagining them. "She attacked me, Ichigo, and I know you don't want to believe me, but it's true."

Ichigo sank into the couch, his head dropping into his hands.

"It doesn't make any sense" Ichigo muttered.

"I know."

Rukia sat down next to Ichigo, hoping that her presence gave him at least a little comfort while he was clearly tired and confused.

"Let me have a look at that" Ichigo said after a while, turning so that he was facing Rukia, his hands gently pressing her chin up to reveal the purpling marks beneath.

"Damn, if I didn't know any better, it looks like something I did to you, or at least someone my size" Ichigo said as he twisted her head from side to side to get a better look. After he had given it an once-over, Ichigo let go of her chin and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Luckily it's just bruised, nothing serious" he said, getting up from the couch and heading for the kitchen, "What do you want to eat?" he asked after opening a few cupboards.

They weekend arrived without any more unfortunate incidents and with the weather slowly warming up, Rukia was feeling a little better about things.

She had gone to see Urahara again and the poison in her body seemed to be increasing at a very slow rate, meaning she had longer left than they had originally thought. Her dosage of medication was bumped up, but Rukia didn't mind.

Daniel and Ichigo made peace, but to say Rukia didn't have to get involved would be stretching the truth a little far. But after Rukia managed to trick them into the same room, they made up like old friends… kind of anyway.

The bruises started to fade, but she still stuck to scarves, because not only did they bug her, but she knew they made Ichigo uncomfortable and that also bothered her. Luckily their newfound relationship wasn't taking any hits due to psychotic exes.

Saturday morning Rukia and Ichigo decided to go have breakfast in the city, something that was supposed to be their first date. In the end they ended up arguing about why Rukia thought it wasn't the right time and place to be a date and why Ichigo couldn't see why it mattered as long as the two of them were together.

"Rukia, I don't see why it matters" Ichigo said as the waiter placed their drinks in front of them.

"It just does, okay?" Rukia retorted, hoping she wouldn't have to spell things out for him.

"Wait, don't tell me you've never been on a date?" Ichigo asked, hitting the bull right out the door. Rukia grabbed a packet of sugar and threw it at Ichigo, but she knew he could easily catch it.

"No, I've never been on a date, stupid, but what's the big deal? It's not like romance has always been important to me" Rukia said as she composed herself and stirred her tea gracefully.

"I guess being a… hundred-and-fifty-something year old virgin isn't such a big deal" Ichigo said, lifting his head as he did the mental calculation of Rukia's age.

Rukia stopped stirring her tea, "What did you say?" she asked, her voice dead calm as a dark aura settled around her. Ichigo froze, knowing that he had crossed a line.

"I, um, nothing. I said nothing!" Ichigo exclaimed, looking around desperately for something he could defend himself with.

"Don't mess with me, boy. This hundred-and-fifty-something year old virgin has learned a few things" Rukia said, continuing to stir her tea as if she had all the time in the world.

Ichigo gave a nervous laugh, tugging at the collar of his sweater.

Their waiter arrived, their orders balanced neatly on a silver tray. Rukia was the first to receive her food, thanking the waiter as she did, and Ichigo received a worried glance along with his plate.

"I'm surprised" Ichigo remarked half way through their meal. Rukia looked up. She then noticed that Ichigo was staring at her, or at her hoody to be more precise.

"Yuzu gave it to you, right?"

"O, um, yes" Rukia said, recalling her second day back. With everything that happened, her arrival felt like a life time ago.

"That girl" Ichigo muttered, but instead of explaining he simply dug back into his breakfast, a small smile playing on the corner of his lips. Rukia watched him a moment longer before returning to her own breakfast.

Ichigo excused himself to visit the men's room once he finished the last strip of bacon on his plate. Rukia waited until he was out of sight before grabbing his phone on the table opposite her. It was locked, but that never stopped her before.

She knew she needed to be done before he returned, but Ichigo's phone was so blasted confusing for her. Luckily Yuzu's number was saved on the speed-dial list.

"Brother!" Yuzu answered enthusiastically. Rukia made a mental note to scold Ichigo for not calling home enough.

"Hello, Yuzu, it's Rukia" Rukia said.

"O, hi Rukia!" Yuzu said, not sound in the least disappointed.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"The hoody you gave me, you know the Chappy one? Where did you get it from?" Rukia asked, hoping the question wouldn't sound too suspicious.

"The one I gave you? Ichigo gave it to me" Yuzu said.

"Thanks, Yuzu, I'll tell your brother to call you tonight" Rukia said, hanging up after Yuzu said goodbye in her usual chirpy manner. She finished the rest of her breakfast and three big swallows, not wanting to look as if she just stopped eating while Ichigo was away.

"Sorry for the wait" Ichigo said as he sat back down, lifting his hand to signal for their bill.

"Ichigo, did you buy this hoody for me?" Rukia asked, figuring she might as well pretend she never asked Yuzu herself. Even though the question to Yuzu had been indirect, Rukia knew even though Yuzu loved cute things, she was all that crazy about Chappy.

Ichigo looked at her in surprise, but soon his expression softened.

"I bought it about two months after you left. It was supposed to be a welcome back gift" Ichigo admitted.

Rukia felt her heart skip a beat and a very important detail cleared up for her. Yes, she was stuck in Hell for five years, but the people she left behind weren't. They might not have been through what she experienced, but at least she knew she was alive- Ichigo and the others couldn't possibly know if she was even alive or if she'd been killed and they were waiting for nothing. Ichigo had bought the hoody to give to her when she returned, but she never did. How long did he keep it before giving it to Yuzu? How long did he wait for her to come back to him before he moved on with Hana? And now, here she was wearing a hoody he had given away and stealing him from the girl who mended his heart.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo, for not finding a way to let you know I was still alive. For not finding a way to let you know I would come back to you" Rukia whispered, her hands balling onto fists on her lap.

The waiter approached their table with the bill before Ichigo could say anything. Gathering her things, Rukia took the moment to make a quick escape to the street outside. Even though the waiter came, Rukia didn't miss the look on Ichigo's face.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called as he jogged to catch up to her.

Rukia ignored him, too embarrassed by her out-of-the-blue confession to face him. It wasn't something she often did; telling someone how she felt directly to their faces.

"Oi, shrimp!" Ichigo called again, grabbing Rukia's hand, bringing her to a stop at last.

"What the hell? You can't just drop a bomb like that and run away" Ichigo said, grabbing hold of her shoulders to ensure she didn't try and pull another fast one on him.

"Rukia, don't you understand that I don't blame you for coming back when you did, you were risking your life down there… It's more than I can say about my time. Stop feeling like you owe everyone some explanation, I never expected things to continue the way they did before you left. What matters is that you're here" Ichigo said when Rukia didn't respond.

"But why? Why would you give up everything you made for yourself? Drop it for someone who does more harm than good in your life?" Rukia asked, giving Ichigo exactly what he wanted- what she was thinking.

"Rukia" Ichigo sighed, "Have you seriously not figured it out by now?"

The sound of traffic came to a halt along with Ichigo's intake of breath. Brown eyes met hers, softening to the point where she thought it might melt away like creamy milk chocolate. And it wasn't only the traffic; all sounds muted out, leaving only Ichigo's voice to occupy Rukia's mind.

"It's because I love you that I will always protect you."

Rukia never doubted that Ichigo cared deeply for her, but it was the first time that he told her how much her cared about her; it left her completely speechless. It almost moved her to tears, but the joy of the moment managed to fend off said tears.

"I don't care how much time we have left, as long as I get to spend it with you."

Rukia didn't wait for him to say any more; she didn't want to hear anymore words, all she wanted to do was kiss him. Her hands made their way around his neck as her feet left the group, colliding with his body at a tremendous speed.

They stood, in the middle of a crowded street, completely oblivious to the pedestrians around them. It truly was a state of divine oblivion; of feeling nothing, yet everything at once. Rukia couldn't explain why, but at that moment she wanted nothing more than to stowaway in some little cabin with Ichigo, never leaving until the day the end came. But at the same time she wanted to spend the last of her days as best she could, with all her friends and Ichigo at her side.

Their kiss broke when reality settled back in and the stares attached to their intertwined form became a bit much. As they walked back to the place they shared, Rukia never let go of Ichigo's hand.

* * *

**Remember, you have the power to make my birthday extra special and contribute to a super cute Ichiruki scene!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Firstly, thank you so much to everybody who decided to wait for my sorry ass. Things happened and I lost speed with this story, but I promise to make up for the time I wasted. **

**Also, I didn't spend much time editing, my internet time is limit so I'll give it another over at a later stage. Once again, I apologize for the LONG overdue chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty

After their confession, everything started going downhill for Rukia and Ichigo.

The week that followed was a blur of check-ups, injections, experiments, and resting. Rukia was getting more and more tired, and she could only spend a few hours of the day on her feet. Her body temperature was either freezing or hot and her stomach lurched whenever she thought about foods she used to love- bread and soup was all she could get down.

Urahara was staying in Tokyo for the time being. He wanted to be nearby if something happened. Rukia allowed it, but only if he promised to keep her brother and Renji in the loop. She had promised Renji that she wouldn't hide things from them anymore; painful things too.

Ichigo stayed by her side during the days and caught up his university work once she went to bed. Rukia knew that it would sooner or later takes its toll on him, but she couldn't convince him to leave her alone.

Daniel came to visit from time to time, but they never saw or heard from Hana. Even though she shouldn't have been, Rukia worried about her. She had been a complete mess the last time. Rukia still couldn't understand what had caused her violent reaction.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked one night as they lay in bed.

"Hmmm?" Rukia hummed, she was already half-asleep.

"Do you want me to stay here again tomorrow? I don't mind." Ichigo sounded worried. Rukia hated being the reason.

"No, go to class, you've missed too much already," Rukia muttered, pulling herself upright. Her sight was a little blurry, but she managed to get it into focus before Ichigo realised she was having trouble seeing.

"It's really not a problem," Ichigo pressed.

"Moron, you're human, so you need an education. I'll be fine." Rukia's eyes drifted over him.

Ichigo was lying on his side, his arm propped up under him to keep him up. His shirt had pulled up during the night to reveal his toned abdomen. She focused on these things, not on the unhappy expression he was wearing.

She wanted to memorise everything about him, every part of him, before her time ran out. No one knew for certain when that would happen, but Rukia didn't feel like it was too far off.

Slowly she put a hand on Ichigo's chest and pressed him down. Her hand slid north and found the hem of his shirt. Ichigo helped her as she pulled it off of him, throwing it down next to the bed.

Her fingers splayed over the bare skin on his chest, feeling every bump, and crook, and cranny as she explored it.

Moving closer, Rukia threw her leg over his so that she was on top of him. Her hands continued their journey as she leaned down to kiss him sweetly on the lips. His hand cupped her cheek, but he seemed hesitant to try anything else.

Still feeling remotely fine, Rukia knew that this would be one of her last chances to be with Ichigo. So, when he wouldn't do anything, Rukia sat back up again.

As Ichigo watched, Rukia pulled Ichigo's oversized shirt (the one she often slept in) over her head and let it float to the ground. She felt oddly embarrassed sitting there with her plain white underwear.

Rukia felt his body tense, his hands gripping her thighs tightly. He was trying very hard to restrain himself.

"It's okay," Rukia whispered, placing her hands on his and unclasping them from her legs. "I feel fine today."

"You don't have to do this; I can wait until you're better." Ichigo sat up, his eyes serious.

"I know that, and thank you, but I want to." Rukia didn't want to correct him on waiting until she was better. The chances that day would come were slim already.

Ichigo still wasn't convinced.

Gently, Rukia lifted one of his hands, slid it between their bodies and put it on her breast. "I want you. Now."

And then all Ichigo's control went flying.

His lips met hers, kissing her intensely, but not forcefully. Rukia shivered as his hands trailed along the bottom of her bra until they came together at the back. In one try, Ichigo managed to unhook it, using his thumbs to slide the straps down her shoulders.

"I love you, Ichigo," Rukia muttered as his lips moved towards her chest. Her fingers knotted in his hair as he flipped them over.

"I love you too." And then his lips found hers again.

In all her existence, Rukia had never experienced anything equal to that night with Ichigo. There were many moments that gripped her, but they all failed to compare. Being as close as she possibly could to Ichigo was both breath-taking and terrifying. But love consumed her, helped her through the pain and the pleasure even better.

_If my life ends tomorrow, I have no regrets_, Rukia thought as she fell asleep in Ichigo's arms.

But, the next day, Rukia wished she hadn't been that quick to think.

Getting out of bed, Rukia realised that her legs were shaking from the effort to simply stand. Ichigo was already in the kitchen, so she had to hobble to him.

"Good morning," Ichigo greeted as she joined him, but the moment his eyes landed her face, he dropped his glass of water and ran to her side.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, pulling her into his arms as she sank to the ground.

"I don't know," Rukia breathed.

"I'll call Urahara, don't move," Ichigo said as he left her on the couch and pulled out his cell phone.

Rukia could hear him speaking to Urahara, he sounded desperate and scared. Afterwards to lifted her up again and carried her to her room.

If Rukia had been feeling even the slightest bit better than she was, there was no way she would let Ichigo dress her. But she was practically in a daze throughout it all.

From there on she only remembered snip-bits of the rush to Urahara's place. Getting in the car, arriving, and opening her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.

And then it hit her.

Rukia's back arched as the searing pain shot through her body. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out for a second before it irrupted from her throat.

The door was thrown open as Ichigo and Urahara burst into the room.

"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed as he threw himself down next to her side of the bed. "What's wrong, please, tell us what's wrong," he sobbed.

Rukia tried to speak, but another waved washed over her and she cried out once again.

"Urahara, do something!" Ichigo shouted. He was losing his head, acting out on his emotions as he always did.

Rukia had always wondered how she would know when the end came. Sometimes she even thought that it would be a white light at the end of the tunnel, but now she knew it wasn't like that. She hadn't lived easy, and she wasn't going out easy either.

Tears leaked from her eyes as she squeezed them shut, her body convulsing from the pain. It felt as though her veins were on fire, burning her alive from the inside.

Sounds seemed to cut out, a high pitched buzz the only thing she could hear.

Urahara appeared above her. He seemed to be asking her something, something to do with a yes and a no. Not even caring, Rukia just nodded her head, but regretted it when Ichigo's hand was pulled from hers.

She was vaguely aware of her arm being lifted and a sharp prick just above the inside of her elbow. The pain didn't lessen, but her hearing returned bit by bit.

"All I can do…" Rukia heard Uruhara say.

"Poison…" Ichigo's voice broke through.

"Maybe…" another piece of Urahara's reply came.

Everything went black after that.

Painstakingly slowly, Rukia's blood cooled down. The pain was still there, but it was numbed to the point that Rukia could relax. Her eyes opened and she scanned the room only to find that it was already dark again.

Trying to push herself up, Rukia found that the pain was still too much. Instead she tried her voice.

"Ichi…" she took a breath. "Ichigo."

There was a rustle from out in the hallway before the door opened and Ichigo stepped in.

"Rukia?" he asked. He sounded warn out, and the red circles around his eyes were probably a combination of exhaustion and holding back tears.

Rukia gave a sad smile.

"You're alive," Ichigo breathed as he sat down on the bed.

Rukia reached out for his hand, but gave up halfway. Before her hand hit the bed, Ichigo caught it, holding softly as he leaned in and put his forehead to hers.

"I don't know what I would have done if you didn't make it." And then the tears started to spill from his eyes. He moves his head into the pillow as his body shook silently.

Rukia's condition didn't recover again. She remained under Urahara's care, who sent Ichigo home and allocated certain hours he could visit. Rukia knew this was a good thing, for bother her and Ichigo, but she missed him terribly when he wasn't there.

Renji and Byakuya visited her as well. They tried to hide their expressions when they saw how pale and skinny she had become. The shine had left her hair and her eyes were dull even though she was still alive.

One afternoon, Rukia and Ichigo were lying in bed. They didn't talk very much, and if they did, Rukia mostly listened. Ichigo's rich voice soothed her, but he sounded so sad. She didn't want to hear him like that, she wanted him to sound carefree again.

He kissed her goodbye and left reluctantly. Rukia could hear him and Urahara talking in the other room, but it was always hushed whispers. She was so focused on making out what they were saying that Rukia didn't sense another presence had joined her in the room.

She tried to push herself away as a hooded figure stepped closer to her bed.

Why didn't Ichigo or Urahara sense him? Then again, what if he wasn't real? Humans did have this crazy antic about a man wearing a giant cloak and carrying a sickle coming to fetch a dying soul. But there were two problems with it being the Grim Reaper. One, there was no sickle, and two, Rukia was pretty sure the Grim Reaper didn't grab his victims by the throat and pull them out of bed.

Rukia sputtered and gasped, her feet desperate to touch the ground.

It was by pure coincidence that she was able to knock over the lamp next to her bed with one of her arms. If not for that, Urahara and Ichigo wouldn't have rushed over just as Hebi no Otoko pulled her into his chest. He pressed an arm against her throat and Rukia managed to keep herself up by hooking her fingers around it.

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded.

"Snake man," Rukia gasped.

A silence settled over the room, but it was soon broken by the Hebi no Otoko.

"I've come to finish what I started," a woman's voice echoed through the room. And not just any woman's voice.

Slowly the Hebi no Otoko used his, well now a her, hand to pull back her hood.

Rukia couldn't see who it was, but by the way Ichigo's face blanched, she knew her deduction was right.

"I have come to kill the Soul Reaper." The voice monotone, as if it the host did not have a single ounce of emotion.

And while turning, Rukia managed to catch a glimpse of the person holding her captive.

It was Hana.

* * *

**Please review (even if it's just to tell me to get my act together :D)**

**xx**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello again :). Finally, the hopefully long awaited resolve. Thank you again for everyone who stuck with me this long, I appreciate it more than you know! There'll probably be one more chapter, but then it'll be the last of Rukia's Requiem. I hope all of you like the story!**

**Please review x**

* * *

Chapter | 21

The moment Rukia's gigai hit the ground, Hana was crashing through the window. Too tired from resisting, Rukia used all her energy for keeping her windpipe open.

"Why?" Rukia managed to croak.

Hana didn't answer. She didn't seem to be focusing on where she was going, meaning she was familiar with her surroundings. Was this really Hana?

Just as Rukia thought her arms would give out, they landed. Hana removed her arm and Rukia dropped into a shivering pile. Her breathing came out in laboured huffs and a sweat had broken out over her entire body.

"They'll find you," Rukia warned. She wasn't sure how the Hebi no Otoko was concealing his spiritual pressure, but Rukia knew that it only worked if he wasn't directly next to someone. Sure, that didn't help her much, but at least Ichigo and Urahara had picked up on it too.

"It does not matter, you'll be dead by the time they do," Hana said.

Rukia wasn't sure what the Hebi no Otoko was doing. Is he wanted to kill her, why not just get it over with. It's not like Rukia was in any position to protect herself. Even with her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, she knew it wouldn't help much.

"Why are you after me?" Rukia at least wanted to know what was going on.

"We have unfinished business," Hana answered.

"Why not just let the poison kill me then?"

Hana didn't answer.

"I mean, it would be much less of a trouble to simply remain in hell and let the job finish on its own." Rukia knew she was pushing her luck, but if she could still speak, then she wasn't dead.

"Now is the last chance I have, and I will not let you escape again." Hana hissed before approaching Rukia. Her eyes blazed with murderous intent.

"Wait, please, I have one more question."

"And why should I answer it?" Hana asked, but stopped nonetheless.

"You'll have the satisfaction of killing me, isn't that enough?" Rukia considered it to be reasonable.

Hana narrowed her eyes. "Very well, what is it?"

"Have you always been Hana?" Rukia asked. She just wanted to know whether all the good times they spent together were fake, that they weren't just the Hebi no Otoko trying to get close enough to kill her. She wanted to keep the memories of Hana pure, she didn't want them stained in the troubles she brought everyone around her.

"I have not been in this body for very long," Hana answered.

Relief washed over Rukia, but it was soon replaced by guilt. If Hana had been her own person before, then it was Rukia's fault she wasn't anymore. Once again, Rukia was to blame for another friend suffering.

"Why did it have to be Hana?" Rukia bit back a sob.

"Her insecurities and weak spiritual power made her an easy target." Hana took another step forward. "That is enough, time to get this over with."

Slipping a hand into her cloak, there was the piercing sound of a blade being drawn and soon Hana pulled out her Zanpaktō. The Hebi no Otoko must have been a Soul Reaper before being sent to Hell.

Rukia lifted her head high, not once breaking eye-contact with Hana. If she was going down, at least she would do it with pride.

Hana lifted her blade until her arms was straight above her head. And then nothing, the blade never came down, well not on Rukia anyway.

Metal clanging to the ground reverberated throughout the abandoned factory they were in.

Hana dropped to her knees, breathing heavily as she clutched at her chest.

"I thought I had gotten rid of you," Hana muttered, her face twisted in anger. "Just die already!

"I w-won't, not ye-et," Hana answered herself. Her voice seemed softer.

"Why do you want to protect her?" the Hebi no Otoko demanded. "She lied so she could get close to you, so she could steal him away."

"Rukia, wo-wouldn't do that." Hana gasped out.

Rukia's eyes widened as she realised what was going on- Hana was fighting the Hebi no Otoko.

"Rukia's my friend!" Hana's voice rand clear as day, and she met Rukia's eyes. "I can hold him off much longer. Get out of here!"

"Hana…" Rukia whispered. "Thank you."

As fast as she could, Rukia pushed herself onto her feet, using Sode no Shirayuki to keep herself from falling over. She managed to get out of the warehouse this way, but if Ichigo and Urahara didn't find her soon, there's no way she would get away.

"Rukia!" Ichigo's voice tore through the night sky and seconds later she was in her arms.

"You're late, idiot," Rukia muttered, but she was too exhausted for anything else.

"Where is she, where's Hana?" Ichigo asked.

"Warehouse," Rukia muttered. "Not Hana, she's possessed."

Ichigo took in the information. It seemed to take a bit of the edge of off his face.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere safe," Ichigo said, but before he could move, an object came flying towards them. With only a second to spare, Ichigo was able to draw his blade and deflect it.

"Well done," Hana said as she approached them. The Hebi no Otoko was back in control. And Rukia quickly saw why.

What used to be his Zanpaktō was now a completely different blade. It seemed much thinner, as if split in two. And Rukia was right, because embedded into a wall next to them was the other half.

Ichigo leaned Rukia against said wall before yanking the sword out.

"Then bring it on," Ichigo muttered as he threw the blade down in front of Hana.

"Doesn't it bother you, Ichigo Kurosaki, that you will be fighting this body?" Hana asked. She was taunting him, playing on his weakness.

"You're not Hana, she would never hurt a soul," Ichigo growled.

"That is beside the point, is it not? Cut me, and you cut Hana," Hana pointed out.

"Then I'll get rid of you without cutting her," Ichigo retorted.

And then he attacked.

Hana had no problem keeping up with Ichigo, but Rukia knew that was only because he was holding back. He was serious about not hurting Hana, but Rukia couldn't see how he would sever the link between her and the Hebi no Otoko.

"There is no way for you two unlink us. Hana and I are one, kill me and you kill her," Hana said as their blades crashed together in an X.

"I'll find a way." With a grunt Ichigo pusher her away.

"Then I wish you good luck." Hana managed to land a cut on Ichigo's upper arm.

Rukia was so caught up in the fight that she didn't realise the change in her body. The pain was fading, her body becoming lighter with every swing of Ichigo's blade. At first she thought that it was the calm after the storm, but it wasn't hard to figure out that she was dying at that moment. No, it was as if her power was returning, tenfold in fact.

Rukia laughed, she felt perfect.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked, but the momentary distraction cost him.

I cry erupted from his mouth as Hana drove one of her blades into his shoulder and pinned him to the ground. Ichigo grabbed for the hilt, but it was too far up for him to pull it out as well.

Hana raised her second blade, tip pointing at Ichigo's chest, both hands wrapped around the hilt. But before she could drive it down, Rukia was under her in a flash. Raising one hand, Rukia blocked her way down and planted one fist into her stomach.

Hana hunched forward, taking a few steps back.

"Damnit," she whispered.

Rukia spun on her heel and yanked the second blade out of Ichigo's shoulder. "Sorry," she muttered as pain contorted his face.

"As you said, we have unfinished business," Rukia muttered as she turned to face Hana. If this was some kind of fluke before the poison took her, then she was going to make the best of it. "I'm going to send you back to hell."

Hana just barely raised her blade as Rukia barrelled into her, the force sending her into the wall.

"Careful, Rukia, this soul will die if you are so ruff," Hana said as she rubbed the back of her head.

Rukia clenched her jaw. "Ichigo, any ideas?" she asked, but didn't take her eyes off of Hana.

"I was hoping you would know," Ichigo muttered.

"There's only one way," Hana said. "You have to kill her as well."

"Not a chance I'm believing anything you say," Rukia spat.

Hana's face contorted, her hand clasping over her forehead. The real Hana was fighting her way through again.

"Rukia," she muttered. "It's true, please, do it."

"Hana?" Ichigo asked, walking until he was next to Rukia.

"Ichigo," Hana panted. "Please, he's not lying, it's the only way."

"No way, we'll figure something out." Ichigo sounded desperately.

"It's okay." The calmness in Hana's voice sent shivers down their spines. "Rukia, thank you for being such a good friend, and Ichigo, I…" she never got to finish, because the Hebi no Otoko shoved her back down.

"Damn girl, no matter," Hana said as she straightened up again. "Where were we?"

Ichigo stepped forward, Zangetsu at the ready, but Rukia put a hand on his chest.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo searched her eyes, any sign of hesitance and he would stop her.

"I don't know how, put I feel perfect," Rukia said. Ichigo nodded, moving away from them.

They fought mechanically, Rukia blocking all of Hana's blows with little effort. There seemed to be a difference than when she fought the Hebi no Otoko in hell, he wasn't as strong. With a start, Rukia realised it was the other way around. He wasn't weaker, Rukia was stronger.

The battle remained taxing; Rukia blocking and only swinging her blade to fend Hana off, not to hit her. It was getting annoying, but Rukia toughed it out. Hana was important to her, and she would keep fighting this way if it meant she could find a gap.

But the Hebi no Otoko seemed to have a different plan in mind. He was well aware of what Rukia was doing, and sought to find some motivation.

"You know, your men are all there, stuck in Hell." Hana grunted as Rukia pushed her back.

Something twitched in Rukia, but she pushed it down.

"I can hear them scream, and it was child's play to convince them to let me have their bodies. Their hate towards their leader made it easy to possess them." The Hebi no Otoko continued taunting her.

Rukia glared at Hana. "They would never, my men were honourable, they would die before letting the likes of you win." For a second her emotions got the better of her and Rukia swung her blade without thinking. Hana managed to dislodge it from her hands and it went flying.

"And now I'll take something else from you," Hana cried.

Rukia braced herself, reading for the attack, but she wasn't the target.

Hana jumped behind Rukia, and with fangs blazing, made a bee-line for Ichigo. Rukia reacted on a whim, grabbing her blade before she flash-stepped between them. One bite and they would be in the same boat.

A silence settled over them as Rukia's blade sunk into Hana's chest. Their eyes met and they sank to the ground together. The silence was shattered as the aired thickened and seemed to grow darker.

Rukia lifted her eyes to see Hell's Gate opening behind Hana. The doors, larger than life, groaned as they swung open, mist spilling out. Chains appeared in the opening, floating around as if searching for something. Finally, they pointed in the direction of Ichigo, Rukia, and Hana.

Lightning fast they shot forward, their ends attaching to Hana's back, arms, legs and feet. Rukia wrapped her arms around Hana's neck, clutching her friend closer.

There was a definite whoosh as the Hebi no Otoko's soul was yanked from Hana's, the connection finally broken.

Without further commotion, the gates closed. The Hebi no Otoko was finally gone and hopefully they would never seem him again.

It wasn't until things returned to normal to Rukia pulled away, carefully tugging Sode no Shirayuki from Hana's chest. She was breathing deeply, the red stain on her already seeping down to the ground.

"Thank you," Hana muttered as Rukia leaned her back until she was lying. Ichigo knelt at her open side. "Both of you."

She coughed, turning her head to the side so that the blood wouldn't choke her.

Tears welled in Rukia's eyes, her hands fumbling uselessly to grabbed Hana's.

"Don't cry," Hana whispered to Rukia, but she knew it was meant for Ichigo as well. This only made the tears leak out of Rukia's eyes.

"Ichigo," Hana whispered.

Ichigo leaned forward until she could see him above her. "Yes," he whispered back.

"I know this is selfish," Hana took a strangled breath, "But will you kiss me one last time."

Ichigo looked at Rukia, but the look in her eyes told him she wanted him to. Slowly he leaned down, his lips touching Hana's ever so slightly.

A tear escaped, rolling into Hana's hair. And the she smiled, "I love you."

The words clung to the air as the life faded from Hana's eyes.

* * *

**Please review**

**xxx**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, so this is it I guess... I can't believe I didn't just sit down and finish this sooner, then I'm sure some of you wouldn't be so annoyed with me. Again, I'm sorry for delaying the epilogue this long, but I guess finishing both my Bleach fics at the same time is also nice. And with the ending of the actual Bleach manga *dies a little inside.***

* * *

Epilogue

Hana's funeral was held two weeks later. Her death was ruled as an unexpected heart attack after the police received an anonymous tip that Hana hadn't been seen around her apartment for almost five days.

It had of course torn Ichigo apart to wait five days before calling, but Rukia knew it would look suspicious if they didn't wait. No that it had been any easier on her either.

But the two of them were dealing with things together, motivating each other through all the interviews, reporters and finally the funeral.

Rukia pressed herself tighter into Ichigo's side, feeling his arm tighten around her shoulder. The black material of his suit was soft against her cheek.

"Though Hana left us so unexpectedly, we will forever hold her in our memories as the beautiful person that she was," Hana's father finished his eulogy. No one clapped, instead they all bowed their heads together.

Rukia and Ichigo followed the mourners out of the cemetery and to Ichigo's car. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Ichigo started to car, shifted into first gear and fell into line behind the other cars. Once they hit the highway, it became easier to move freely.

Instead of heading back to Tokyo, they returned to Karakura. They'd been staying there since Hana's death; the city was too oppressing. Ichigo watched all of classes online, luckily able to focus on his degree to avoid thinking about what had happened. Rukia on the other hand didn't have that luxury. She tried to keep her days as busy as possible, but the pang in her chest never left.

Before going to Ichigo's house, they stopped at Urahara's.

After everything went down with Hana, he had been the first one they told. He managed to smooth things over with the Soul Society, explaining the situation. Afterwards he had contacted Rukia and asked her to stop by once she felt she was up to it.

"He said it wouldn't take long," Rukia said as she shut the car door.

"Nothing with Urahara is ever quick," Ichigo muttered as he followed her up to the house.

Once inside, they skipped the formality of announcing themselves and made straight of the back of the small store. They found Urahara and companions in the small living room.

"Ah, Rukia and Ichigo, I've been waiting for you two," Urahara said, gesturing for them to take a seat.

"You wanted to tell me something?" Rukia asked, getting straight to the point. She didn't mean to be rude, he had helped them after all, but she was tired and just wanted to take a nap.

Luckily, Urahara was aware of this.

"Yes, I have the result of your newest test," he explained.

Both Ichigo and Rukia straightened a little.

"And?" Ichigo asked when Rukia hesitated.

Urahara flipped his fan open, giving them a wide smile. "Congratulations, you are completely healthy again."

Rukia's mouth opened to say something, but all that came out was a breath.

"Having the source of what was poisoning your spiritual power so nearby acted as a counter measure," Urahara continued. "The poison was absorbed into Hana's possessed soul, drawing it completely out. I dare say she might have done it herself, but I guess we'll never know—"

"It was her," Rukia interjected, "I just know it was her."

It wasn't until Ichigo and Rukia were back in Ichigo's room that he pulled her into his arms. "You're going to live," he whispered.

"I know." A laugh bubbled out from between her lips. "Hana had to die for me to live."

Ichigo pulled back harshly, bending down until they were at the same eye-level. His face was hard.

"Hana died _so_ that you can live, and don't you dare think otherwise," Ichigo scolded her.

Rukia was a little taken aback, but then she closed her eyes and smiled. "Of course, anything else would be a dishonour to her memory."

"You damn Kuchikis and your honour," Ichigo muttered before pressing his lips against hers.

Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck, fully immersing herself in the kiss for the first time in two weeks. For the first time she felt like she was allowed to kiss him again.

Ichigo moved backwards, sitting down on his bed before pulling Rukia into his lap. She followed without complaint, managing to tug her shoes off and letting them drop to the ground.

They kissed sweetly for a bit, but tiredness took over sooner that they anticipated. Crawling into bed next to each other, it wasn't long before sleep overcame them.

The wind blew softly, a warm breeze that melted against Rukia's exposed shoulders. She relished in it, liking how it almost felt like arms around her.

"Well, it was nice to see you again," Rukia whispered as she knelt down in front of the grave. She reached out and placed a beautiful white rose in front of the tombstone.

After she was done, Rukia stood up and walked away. It was the first time that she was able to visit Hana's grave without having to wipe furiously at her eyes. Sure, what Ichigo had said about it not being her fault was true, but Rukia couldn't help but blame herself for the events that aspired.

Wiping down the knees of her soft yellow sundress, Rukia picked her way through the cemetery. There were a few other mourners, but other than that, she was alone.

Barely a second after she exited through the main gates, Rukia heard her name.

She looked up, spotting the familiar blob of orange hair just down the road. Ichigo waved at her and stepped away from their car.

Rukia closed the gap between them and let him pull her into his arms.

Ichigo kissed the top of her head. "Was it better this time?"

Rukia nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think it'll ever be easy."

"It shouldn't be," Ichigo answered and pulled away.

Rukia smiled at him, but suddenly realised that something was missing.

She looked around them. "Where's—"

"They're down by the river," Ichigo interrupted her.

Weaving their fingers together, they walked a little bit down the road until they reached the steps that lead down to the river. Once at the bottom, they stood for a second and scanned their surroundings.

Ichigo barely had time to react as something launched out of a patch of tall grass.

"There you are," he laughed as he caught the little bundle or flaming hair.

"Where's your brother, Tsukiko?" Rukia asked once the little girl had calmed down.

Tsukiko pursed her lips together.

"Very well," Rukia said and gave Ichigo a look she had mastered around the twins.

Aware of what it meant, Ichigo held Tsukiko tight against his body as Rukia tickled any part she could reach.

"He's still in the grass," Tsukiko managed between breathless laughs.

Clearly hearing that he had been sold out, a little boy took the same initiative as his sister, but Rukia caught him without a problem.

"There you are, Haru," she said as she hauled him over her shoulder.

Haru laughed, trying to fight his way away from her.

"Okay, it's time to go," Ichigo announced, placing Tsukiko on his hip.

Haru, being the older of the twins, refused to be carried around. He was insistent on being a grown boy, even though they were only four years old. And even with his black hair hanging low over his eyes, Rukia could see his determination was strong.

"Yes, grandfather is waiting for us," Rukia said as they walked back to the car.

Once the twins were safely secured in the backseat of the car, they took off. Rukia gave the cemetery one last glace, unable to believe that ten years had passed since Hana's death. But it had been a wonderful ten years.

After the events that occurred, the Soul Society had granted Rukia one of two choices; remain a soul reaper or live her life much as Ichigo's father had.

Rukia chose both. She would be a wife, a mother, she would also age the way humans did, but she would fight alongside Ichigo until the day she died. And with the twins yammering away in the backseat, with the way Ichigo's hand felt on her knee, she knew she had made the right decision.

Gazing out the window, Rukia sent one final thank you to Hana.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked in a hushed tone.

Rukia placed her hand on his, squeezing it once.

"I couldn't be any better."

* * *

**Thank you very much to every single one of you who stuck with me through it all. Your endurance truly is astounding. I don't think I'll be writing another Bleach fic any time soon, because I want to focus on finishing my second Spirited Away fic. Anyway, for those of you who haven't read Who Needs Enemies?, I'd appreciate it if you would, because I only needs four more reviews to hit 200 *jumps up and down*.**

**Please review.**


End file.
